In the Midst of Battle
by ChelseaBurger22
Summary: When the world is consumed by war, Ranma must prove his loyalty to his home by betraying his heritage. But he didn't know he would have to choose between his country and the one person he couldn't stop himself from caring about. RxA. my first fanfiction.
1. In The Pursuit of Happiness

A/N: Okay, so... I redid it so that all of the chapters are separate, so now all of the chapters aren't under chapter one... if that makes any sense. Anywhoo, so I want you to know that this is my first fanfiction. I update when - a) I have time, or b) I feel like it. So my schedules pretty tight. . I really enjoy reading your reviews, wether they bear good news or bad. I love comments and compliments, but I love well placed criticism even better. (I believe they call that critiquing...) I don't normally write much of the author rambling, but the first chapter's an exception. Um, let's see... if you do manage to "critique" me while I'm writing it (which shouldn't be too fantastic a feat, seeing as how I update once in a blue moon), then I will be sure to argue or incorporate your point within the story. I value everyone's opinion. Unless you plan to flame me just for the hell of it. That might just make me mad. Anyway, I'm starting highschool in about a month, so I'm not guaranteeing any schedule for updates. Hope you can have patience with me!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma ½, the Declaration of Independence (obviously), or any other quote I use in this story unless of course it reads "by author". That would be me. And now might I say I'd appreciate it if no one use anything I created myself... not like you would. I'm such a moron. 'K. On with the show!  
  
**In the Midst of Battle Chapter One**: In the Pursuit of Happiness

"_We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."_ - Declaration of Independence  
  
A young girl shuffled along the side of her two elderly sisters and father, and clutched her mother's hand timidly. It was the year 1931 in a small town on the west coast of the United States. The train station was deserted, save a few scraggly men hunched over against walls and stairwells. A five year old Akane Tendo turned fearful eyes to the world outside of the home she new and loved, the home she would never see again. The Tendo family traveled far from Japan into the promising world of the United States, where all men were created equal, and treated as such. "Come, Akane dear. It's not much farther to the bus stop." Her mother soothed gently, offering the frightened youth her hand again. Akane grasped it like a lifeline, and allowed herself to be dragged to the bus stop, attempting a brave face and strong composure. She could be strong. She WOULD be strong for her family.  
  
The bus arrived shortly after they reached it's stop, gliding along the street like a great white shark stalking it's prey with crafty deceitfulness. Akane hesitated only a moment before she was pulled onto the bus, and into her mother's protective lap. She turned sullenly to the window beside her, and pressed her small face up to the glass, watching as the countryside whizzed by, and watched the colors blur for what seemed like hours before falling into a fitful slumber.  
  
Eleven years later in the year of 1941, Akane Tendo sits contentedly on her front porch in California as she watches the cars on the street pass by. She smiled wistfully as her mother's soft humming drifted through the open doors to the kitchen. Akane's eldest sister Kasumi stepped outside and heaved a great sigh. Akane glanced curiously at her as the older girl flopped beside her on the porch.

"What's wrong Kasumi? Is something troubling you?" Kasumi gave her a weak smile and sighed once more. "Oh, it's that silly father of ours. He just won't leave that Go board alone! I can't even get him to go to the market for me while I help mother." Akane returned her gaze to the busy street. "I'll go for you, if you want." She replied easily. "I mean, that is why you came out here, right?" Kasumi immediately brightened and exclaimed, "Oh really, Akane? Thank you so much! I'll go tell mother!" Akane shook her head dully after her sister left for the kitchen. It's the same to her one way or another. She really actually enjoyed leaving the house every once in awhile. Her life was so dull.

The somber youth shoved herself up from the cold stone of her porch and strode into the kitchen. Kasumi greeted her with a few dollars and a paper list with several scribbles on it.  
"This is the money it should cost you, and here is the list of things we need for dinner tonight." Akane nodded and turned to leave but was called back by her mother's sing song voice, "Oh, and Akane dear, don't forget your jacket. It's cold today." Akane nodded mutely again and headed for the wooden coat hanger on the wall.

Stepping out the door, Akane hurriedly pulled on her button up coat over her crisp looking dress with buttons trailing down the front, a stark white double-layered collar tied together with a small bow right above where the buttons begin, and a knee-high billowy skirt that floated gently around her in softened pleats as the wind blew. She fussed over the wind blowing her neatly curled hair as she strode briskly down the side walk, trying desperately to keep her skirt from blowing too high at the same moment.

It was all too frustrating going through the every day ritual of prepping for society. The process alone took over several hours, and then she hardly had time for breakfast before she headed off toward school. Akane specifically disliked trends and styles, for she spent so much of her time after school doing homework or training in her families' martial art style that she could just slap on a pair of sweats and a cotton shirt, and no one would be around to know. Besides, her hair was so long and unruly, it took two years and a day to get it to curl properly and stay that way.

"Besides, I don't care what other people think of me. I don't care what MEN think of me." And it was true. Her strong contempt for men came at an early age when her childhood friends demanded more from their friendship. Instead, they courted her at her doorstep at every opportunity, an chased her around school for maybe a date or two.

Now, just because she showed great disdain for those slobs that call themselves men, doesn't mean she turned her compassion toward women. No, she was as straight as they come, but that didn't mean that she had to choose to spend her life with one. Hell, she'd rather not waste a few hours on a date with one! She opted for a single, independent life, devoid of false love and unhappiness. Akane figured that if she kept up her training, she would be experienced enough to train students of her own, and could support herself that way.

After all, things could only get better right? After they immigrated to America, Akane's father always told her that "This is the life we've been waiting for. A chance to start over, and make a name for ourselves! We're going to live it big here, Akane! I'm telling you, it's this strong feeling in my gut." Well, so much for living it big. It turned out that feeling in his gut was only gastric cancer, a form of malignant tumor that was otherwise undetectable. That is... until it was far too late to change her father's fate.

Now he suffers from a spreading demon in his cells, often vomiting blood or becoming unnaturally weak and exhausted. Akane shook her head clear of all thoughts. Just go to the market, buy the food, and go home to train.

Akane hardly noticed until she was upon it, that she had just barely reached the market place. There was a loud commotion a few feet behind her, and Akane turned her attention to the crowd gathered by a store's window. A woman's blood curdling scream was heard, and Akane rushed to the woman's side and caught her prone form before her faint landed her on the ground.

A man, probably the woman's husband, thanked Akane and took the limp woman. Akane nodded in acknowledgment and turned her attention to the darkened black and white screen in the store room window. On the screen was a far away view of some kind of explosion... the smoke billowed toward the heavens in large black clouds.

Akane barely managed to hear the news broadcaster's voice say animatedly, _"A sudden attack on our Pearl Harbor in Hawaii has left thousands dead, and more injured! There were Japanese aircrafts spotted by the few survivors, and there are rumors we may be at war with Japan this very moment! There is a large chance.._."

Akane shut out the obnoxious announcer's voice and contemplated the situation in panic. What would happen now? What can we do? Japanese Aircrafts? Akane forgot about the groceries she was to pick up, and sprinted home to her father, mother, and sisters. She believed no matter how much turmoil went on outside, she would always be safe in her home. Always.

The ticking of the old clock echoed in the silent living room of the Tendo house hold. Mr. Tendo sat somberly on the woven rug, staring at the Go board and facing off against a phantom opponent. Nabiki worked grimly at her homework while pondering the uproar this new development would undoubtedly cause.

Kasumi hummed brightly in a creaking rocking chair by the glowing embers of the fire, and Akane cast a blank gaze at her reflection in a hand mirror while her mother pulled a comb through her long raven locks.

Devastation. Death. Tragedy. These words plastered themselves on the walls of Akane's mind as she wondered what would result from such a fatal attack, as something inevitably must. She couldn't rid herself of that one terrified scream she heard in the market. Soon, that scream turned to more screams, a chaotic stir of fear and pain and surprise thrown from the lips of innocent people... children... oh, how terrified they must have been! Then, the screaming, the chaos, turned to silence. Deafening silence. Everything was quiet, everything was still. Everyone was broken.

"What will happen?" Akane heard her self questioning in an unusually strained and quiet voice.

"What will happen if we go to war? Won't more people die? Won't more people suffer? What will happen to those who were innocent, and weren't meant to be involved? Those who were merely at the wrong place at the wrong time..." She felt a comforting hand on her shoulder. Her mother's soft fingers brushed the hair from her forehead, and Akane trembled with unshed tears.  
Tears welled in her already glistening eyes, and she gave a few strangled chokes as hot tears spilled onto her cheeks and dripped patterns onto the navy blue of her skirt.

Mrs. Soatome bent next to her daughter and pulled her up into a reassuring embrace. It was silent a moment before she felt another pair of arms encircle her tiny waist, and looked up to see a wet eyed Nabiki. Kasumi and Mr. Tendo left their spots scattered around the room to join in comforting Akane in her pain, and to comfort their own.

For about a week, life continued as relatively normal. Suitors continued badgering Akane for a date, Kasumi was loved by the crowd of regulars at the market, Nabiki's profit continued growing, Mr. Soatome refused to leave his precious Go board, and Mrs. Soatome continued her usual maternal duties. Then finally, on December 15, 1941, the initial shock from the Pearl Harbor bombing wore off to a new, more vicious feeling of hostility amongst the people.

The Untied States Secretary of Navy, Frank Knox, stated that ethnic Japanese in Hawaii had been active in helping to prepare the attack. The suspicions, mingling with preexisting anti-Japanese sentiment, caused for a very insecure air amongst regular friends and neighbors. Stores put signs in their windows excluding anyone of Japanese ancestry of entering. They often times said things like "Go back where you came from.", or "We don't allow Japs in this store".

Akane walked grimly along the side walk toward her home about a month after the accusation occurred. She had spent another grueling day of protecting herself and her older sister from being attacked by what she once considered "friends". Nabiki had stayed after school to inform the teacher that she and Akane would no longer be attending class, on behalf of their father's illness worsening. She looked into the window of her former favorite ice cream store, and cursed at the familiar bold black words on a sign hanging on the window. "No Japs allowed." Anger welled within her, quickly turning itself to disgust. So much for everyone being equal. She stood in front of the window disapprovingly, keeping her angry gaze directed at the sign.

Akane heaved a sigh and shoved the door open. As soon as she stepped in, the store became quiet, everyone directing their gaze toward her in astonishment. She could hear the timid bell from the door ringing, as if to say, "we don't want you here".

Akane strode forcefully toward the counter and picked up a spare menu. Scanning it quickly, she set it aside, noting the quiet whispers behind her tense back.

"I'd like a small chocolate cone, please." The man behind the counter glared at her angrily, then, as if he just remembered who she was, or what, turned his nose up and sniffed haughtily. "I'm sorry, but you have to leave."

Akane grew more upset at the ring of superiority in his voice. She spoke sweetly, "Oh, well, of course I'll leave! Just as soon as you give me my order." His face flushed red, and his nostrils flared. "You stupid girl! Can't you read?! The sign says "no Japs allowed"!" Akane growled.

"Excuse me sir, but if I'm not mistaken, you don't have the authority to refuse your service to me, in fact, I can only see it hindering business, not helping. So..." she let the sentence hang, and took a seat gracefully at the counter stool. "I can do whatever it is I please at my store! I have my rights!" He screamed angrily at her. Her eyes narrowed dangerously, "and I, too, have mine. So if you'd kindly give me my order, I'd pay you and be on my way." She snapped while slamming her coins on the smooth counter top. Akane was very close to losing her cool visage.

What right did he have?

The gruff man stared her in the eye for another moment, and she returned the glare, equally venomous. He then turned on his heel abruptly, and set to work on her cone, cursing under his breath as he did so. Turning around again, he slammed the cone on the table and Akane shoved the money toward his whitened knuckles. She smiled sweetly and chimed before walking out the door, "Have a nice day sir..."

Akane smiled inwardly to herself as she licked her chocolate ice cream cone. Before the bombing, she could have gone inside, as casually as anyone else, and the owner would smile at her and take her order. Now everything was different, no one trusted then anymore. It had been hard making a living here before, no one wanted their children to learn martial arts, especially not their daughters. But now, the few students they had, had left shouting and cursing our family name. They had almost no income, besides the few dollars Nabiki can sneak every once in awhile.

Ever since the accusation, Japanese American families had been burning any of their possessions that gave way they had once lived in Japan, and had been Japanese citizens.

Just the other day, Akane had walked into their tiny garage to find her father staring over a small fire on the ground. Looking closer, she realized their Japanese flag was sitting amongst the flames. Again, she had walked in the kitchen and her mother was gazing regretfully at her smashed collection of porcelain geisha dolls, in one hand holding an old wooden mallet, dusted with porcelain powder. The other hand held her mother's wedding kimono, which Akane had a strange feeling would be joining her father's fire.

Akane was knocked out of her reverie by a rough shove from behind. She stumbled dangerously, but managed to keep her balance long enough to position herself. She swung around to see the culprit and was faced with four very large men. They were obviously Caucasian, probably around her age, if not a few years older. She could have sworn she had seen them before.

"We saw the little show you put on, bitch." Ah, they had been sitting at the table closest the door at the ice cream parlor. She stood straighter and replied evenly, if not a little angrily, "Don't call me that." The men laughed mockingly. "What are you gonna do about it, bitch? Eh? Turn your little smart ass brain on and bore us to death with your equal rights lectures?" His three idiot accomplices chuckled as if it were the cleverest thing they'd ever heard.

"I don't want to get involved with you, okay? Just back off." The man they obviously thought of as their little ring leader, chuckled idly. "Oooh I'm shivering." he turned to his buddies and laughed tauntingly, "Hey guys, she says she can lick all of us! What do you think about that?"

Akane suppressed a need to roll her eyes. One man replied, "I think we should give HER a licking!" (A/N: a licking as in, beating them up... not anything else) Akane changed position to a more defensive stance. The first thing she learned from her father was to never underestimate your opponent, but it was painfully obvious these guys were just dumb. She raised one knife like hand in front of her face, and her foot slid back ever-so-slightly to give her better balance.

In response to her silence, the four men launched themselves at her from all sides. Akane jumped above one diving body, kicking the man in the face with unrestrained power. He dropped to the ground in pain. Akane landed gracefully before spinning around and landing a kick in the other man's stomach. Akane was shocked when she felt a strong hand punch the back of her head. She lost her balance almost immediately, and fell to the ground. The other men had recovered, and she felt herself being lifted by her dress collar. "We have a nasty one here, don't we?" Akane growled and swung her leg at the man who merely dodged. He growled when a small trail of blood made itself visible on his cheek. He leisurely threw a punch at her and hit her directly in the fore head. She gasped in pain as her vision began to swirl before taking her ice cream cone and shoving it in his eyes.

He screamed as it burned icy tendrils down his eye sockets, and dropped Akane. She took the opportunity to knee him in his stomach, and shove him onto his other friends. The men scrambled from under his weight, and took off in the opposite direction. Akane stumbled a few steps before dropping on her knees to clear her vision. She managed until she was about a block away from her home before blacking out.  
  
Review please. I won't force you.


	2. Toy Soldiers

A/N: And we now have a chapter two. You may have already read it.

Disclaimer: I do not own.. Oh, to hell with it. I said it in the first chapter, it counts for every chapter. I'm not going to waste my time.  
  
Chapter 2: Toy Soldiers My little toy soldiers,  
All in a line,  
Their sturdy plastic boots,  
Marching in the time.  
Pull out your little guns,  
Stick your nose up high,  
Turn your head away,  
As friends begin to die.  
Compassion is a weakness,  
That will only bring you down,  
No mercy for my soldiers,  
They serve to make me proud.  
- By author

The night air was soaked with glittering stars winking merrily at a dark figure rushing through a quick-paced kata. The soft breeze of winter nipped at his bare shoulder as he bent to pick up a few pieces of smashed wooden dummy. He took the opportunity to relax himself and pack up for the day. As he carried his hand towel and boots toward a small water pump, a voice from behind called him to attention.

"Soatome! The general demands your presence in his office!" Ranma turned weary eyes to his fellow soldier and sighed in annoyance. "That old man... what does he want from me now?" Ranma trudged into a spacious office in the middle of a large military camp. He slammed the door behind him and smirked at his father's wince. The older man straightened proudly and cleared his voice for Ranma's attention.

"Listen boy. You've been training in free hand combat for sixteen years now. I expect that you have earned your position as my only heir to the family name... but that's not what you're here for. You see, we are at war with Japan at this very moment. There are rumors that they will be establishing assembly camps to lodge citizens of Japanese ancestry..." Ranma's eyes widened and he shouted "What?!"

"Silence soldier! I didn't give you permission to speak." He bit back a nasty retort in favor of his curiosity. That, and the idea of sleeping outside as a result of his father's temper sounded less than appealing. "As I said, in favor of our country's safety, several powerful figures, including that of the president's, have found it in our country's best interest to remove all threats from important military areas." He continued formally.

Ranma resisted the urge to mutter profanities at his arrogant father. "What the hell are you saying old man?! Your talking about confining your own people!" Genma sniffed the air haughtily. "My own people, Ranma, are the citizens of the United States, and I will do anything in my power to protect them and this country. ANYTHING."

"But Pops, why are you telling me all this? What's any of this got to do with me?" Genma straightened and walked around his desk, promptly smacking his son's head and shouting. "If you would keep your ungrateful mouth CLOSED, I would be more than obliged to tell you. Please, take a seat." Ranma did as told, and leaned forward impatiently to hear about the mess his father had gotten him into.

"With this sudden... occurrence, the higher political and military figures in our government have found it decidedly difficult to identify loyal citizens from disloyal ones. I, being the trusted and useful general I am, have proved my case of loyalty to my country and my people. Now it is time to prove yours." Ranma raised an eyebrow, expecting him to further his explanation.

"And..?" he questioned when Genma didn't continue. The old General cleared his throat.

"And... well, this might be hard for you son, but..." Ranma growled at his stalling.

"I have decided to put you in charge of security for the upcoming Internment camps as head officer." Ranma gaped, "W-what?! Are you insane? No! I can't do that!" Genma silenced him with a glare. "You don't have any say in the matter. Either you prove your worth to this country and your father, or you suffer the consequence in the internment camps." Then his voice softened at Ranma's outright hurt expression. "Ranma, this may be your only chance to prove your loyalty. Please. Do this for me, and I will give you a profitable place in this organization, and your father's heart. Forever." The worn soldier shook his head slowly. "I shouldn't have to betray my heritage just to gain a spot in your heart. I'm your son. I should already have one."

Ranma stood slowly and headed for the door. Just as he reached the door knob, his father called him back.

"Ranma, you are going to take this offer, aren't you?" Genma asked expectantly. The youth turned fiery eyes to his father, and repeated dully, "As you openly stated earlier, I have no say in the matter." he turned around once more, and slammed the door on his father's icy glare.  
  
Ranma woke grudgingly at the sound of the proud horn that blared it's dreadful song through out the military camp. The soldiers stationed around him dragged their massive feet about the ground and glared menacingly toward the lone wall clock stating the current time of around four thirty. It was only months after the Pearl Harbor bombing, but by the lack of sleep these soldiers gained, it was obvious their nights were still haunted with visions of the mass destruction.

It was April in the year of 1942, the weather barley recovering from the cold winter days, and the scarce greenery faring not quite as well. What little plant life that surrounded the barren wasteland they call desert, had been lost in the frosty nights, or otherwise trampled by clumsy boots. It had been just yesterday that the government had issued Executive Order 9066, stating Japanese Americans in the western states could and would be evacuated, or forced to leave their homes.

Public law 503 provided criminal penalties for disobeying Executive Order 9066, which was a red flag that future court cases would open to discussion for these law offenders.  
As a result of lack of action on the government's part, the military took control of the situation and created an organization called the Wartime Civilian Control Agency, who Ranma was now decidedly a part of. They established Assembly centers to lodge the Japanese Americans until they could complete the Internment camps.

'Today was the day they began packing up Japanese citizens and shipping them off to those trash yards they are to live in. Most were built on old horse racing tracks, others on fairgrounds or old mills. They hadn't any running water, nor any source of heating. They were brokendown junkyards that were supposedly going to be crammed full of fellow American citizens. Ranma wanted to vomit.

He dragged his worn body out of bed and threw on his normal green rib shirt and khakis that he tucked into the standard black boots. A very non original an semble that all soldiers and training officers were to wear. This was going to be a promisingly bad day. Ranma ushered fellow soldiers out the door to the small and gloomy room, checking to make sure everything was in place before they left. He hated to do the last minute clean up, but it was in his job description to keep the lodgings clean. As he rushed out the door, he skidded to a halt at the end of a dreadfully long line toward their breakfast.

He watched half heartedly as several other lines marched alongside theirs, giving them an unusually organized look. Ranma thought in amusement to himself, 'We're nothing but little toy soldiers doing the governments bidding.' The more he thought about it, the sicker it made him feel. Sure, they were fighting for a greater cause, but Ranma was a strong believer in that the end does not justify the means. True, they had no way of identifying the loyal from the disloyal, but that did not make it any less painful for those being punished for nothing.

He hadn't touched his breakfast, too lost in thought to waste time on food. This concerned his friends and close acquaintances immensely. Ranma NEVER gave up a chance for a good meal. It was just unheard of. They began badgering him about his lack of appetite, what was he so focused on? Was he excited about his new position as head security of the internment camp? What privileges did this job have? Where there any attractive women officers going with him?  
Ranma slammed a fist against the creaky wooden table and headed for the nearest door, leaving a very shocked and confused group of soldiers in his wake.

He shoved the door in front of him open, causing it to hit the wall violently, and gain a few fearful stares in his direction. Ignoring them, Ranma pushed his way to the restroom and opened the stingy metal door distractedly. He shuffled over to the steel sinks and twisted the handle sharply. A steady stream of clear water rushed from the abused faucet, aching from all the rough dirty hands that tug on it every so often. Ranma cupped his hands under the water flow and splashed his face repeatedly, preparing himself for the early departure they were to take in less than an hour.

The door behind him opened and a pair of chatting men strolled in, ignoring the troubled boy at the faucet completely. Ranma sighed, grabbing a nearby paper towel roll, and ripped a piece off. The frustrated boy scrubbed viciously at his drooping face. It had been so long since he had gotten a decent night's sleep. What worried him even more was that the nightmare had yet to begin.

He waited nervously, guilt gnawing at his stomach. It was bad enough thousands of innocent lives would be wasted away for who knows how many years, but here Ranma was, healthy and fit, and treated with an air of respect, just the same as any of them, sending them to this hell on Earth. It was enough to make a guy suicidal. They had headed to a run down train station where they would await the arrival of their passengers- escorts and all- and ship them off to the Assembly center in Fresno.

There was a light tap on his shoulder, and he turned to see his trusted friend and fellow soldier Ryoga, smiling ignorantly at him. Indeed, Ryoga was just as much part of the Japanese heritage as Ranma, but he had been raised here as an infant, and couldn't remember his homeland. He was completely blind to Ranma's internal guilt and hesitancy as well, too pumped up about his new position as second in command of security, right after Ranma.

He was a nice guy, but as sickeningly loyal as a lost puppy. One might go so far as to call him a suck up, but never harsh. He was way too ignorant and blissfully unaware of almost every situation to ever hurt anyone no matter their color, race, or sex. His hair was as stunningly black as Ranma's pigtailed hair, only cut shorter with a yellow bandana dotted with black rectangles every so often. Like Ranma, he excelled at hand to hand combat, only where Ranma is quick and effective, Ryoga is slow but strong as a raging bull. They both had the same lean and attractive build, averaged about the same height, and had a knack for causing trouble where trouble was not wanted.

"Ranma, the escorts have arrived with their passengers." Ranma's smile did not reach his eyes. "Thanks Ryoga, can you tell the...um... passengers to stand still and not cause trouble until we're sure we have our allotted number of people? We need at least a few more hours before we can make sure every one is here and comb the areas. Never sure when we have fugitives on our hands." Ryoga nodded assent and jogged over to take the microphone from it's stand in a small control room. Seconds later, Ryoga's deep voice set instructions through the tiny speakers placed on walls.

It had been hours since Ryoga's speech on the microphone. Ranma had sent out several officers to give the residential areas a once-over, and return afterward with reports. There was a loud commotion from a near by group of people. Ranma heard a shrill scream and raced over, attempting to push through the crowds. There were far too many people huddled together to watch some kind of confrontation, so it was a greater ordeal than he had expected.

Akane's gasps came in short puffs of white smoke before her face as she stood her ground over the towering man. He gave her a murderous glare and raised a hand against her. Her breath quickened, but she didn't flinch. Her gaze returned his steadily, daring him to look away. These monsters that call themselves men. They were a disgrace to their country's name. "You filthy little bitch..." the giant grizzly man growled. "I'll have your head for that!" Akane shoved the small child aside and dodged just in time as his enormous bear-claw hand came down on her. Unfortunately, the ground was cold and slick with the water of a previous rainfall, and her tricky footing was lost as she slipped gracelessly and landed hard on her behind. The soldier laughed tauntingly, and towered over her.

"Where can ya go now, eh? No one to cry to, no one to help you. These cowards are all too scared to stand up for a brave little duckling like you." he laughed, gesturing toward the crowd of guilty onlookers. Before Akane could roll away, a booted foot came in contact with her side, and she was sent sprawling again. Akane pushed herself up on her arms through her pain, and began to slowly rise.

The soldier laughed, "Oh, but she doesn't know WHEN to give up! I'll have to train the poor pup before things get outta hand, eh?" He grinned at the crowd. As Akane struggled on her buckling knees, she felt a rough greasy paw on her head. It grasped her long blue black mane and hung her suspended in the air. She struggled helplessly until their was a sharp punch to the back of her head and her vision blackened.

Akane was brought back to a time from the previous year, after her fight with a group of hot stuff teenage boys who picked a fight with her. She had won, of course, but had suffered dire consequences and made it till her neighborhood until she blacked out and could remember nothing. She had awoken to her living room ceiling, plain as day, and heard the soft tuneof her mother's beautiful humming. She smiled through closed eyes, and lifted herself to face a figure sitting across from her.

"Akane dear! You're awake! I was so worried!" Her mother lunged at her and caught her in a tight embrace. "We were so worried when the neighbors brought you here unconscious. They said they had found you on the sidewalk! Whatever happened to you, my dear girl?" Akane sighed and proceeded in retelling the earlier events, her mother's face growing longer and longer with each detail.

"Akane, sweetie, you really shouldn't be causing trouble like that. Especially now, with people so worked up about that nasty bombing." Akane sighed tiredly, "I know, really I do, but... how can you let them treat you that way? Like some kind of traitor, when our only crime is being born into another heritage?" Mrs. Tendo smiled, shaking her head knowingly.

"Akane... you have to understand. The great and powerful country of America is still human, no matter how great a label they posses. It's in our instincts to distrust things unfamiliar to us. They only want to protect their families, just as you do, but they haven't come to the conclusion that not only is everyone created equal, but we are all entitled to our own mistakes. Without them, we can't grow and learn, and trust. Give this place a chance, I know they'll come to their senses eventually." Akane looked thoughtful for a moment, before nodding and giving her mother one of those famous smiles of hers.

Akane groaned at the sudden brightness of the room. She opened her eyes groggily, turning her head to see what the hell it was that was shaking her. She wanted to yell, stop, that hurts! But her voice was lodged in her throat when she looked up into a pair of very concerned beautiful blue eyes.

"Hey, are you alright? Hello? Are you okay?" The person was saying, his eyes never leaving hers. Akane shook her head, then groaned in protest at the pain pounding through her skull. She reached behind her head, clutching the wet spot for a moment. When she brought her hand in front of her eyes, it was stained with silky red liquid. Akane was still regaining her thoughts and didn't quite recognize the stain, looking at it quizzically for a moment or two.

The man with the beautiful eyes gaped at the red splotch. "Some one go get a doctor, now!" Akane groaned in protest and brought her hand up to the speaker's mouth, covering his lips so as to not let him speak. He turned his surprised gaze to her, meeting her pained stare head on. They held their gaze for several moments, before Akane cringed in pain and held her head carefully. A funny-looking man in a white overcoat and coke bottle glasses rushed to her side. She giggled as his mustache tickled her face while he examined her head, and the boy holding her smiled warmly.

Akane tried to push herself up, but as soon as she reached her desired position, the room spun, and pain seared through her skull. Akane cried out desperately and clung to her head, but the wave of dizziness had knocked her unconscious again.

Ranma held his breath in anticipation. Was that girl alright? He sighed angrily at himself. This was no time to grow attached to one of the refugees he was locking up. And who's to say he was growing attached? He had only been with her for a moment or two...

Ranma shoved his way through the frozen onlookers, struggling against their unmoving bodies. "'Scuse me. Watch out. Emergency, what's going on?" And finally losing his patience...

"MOVE!"

A path was cleared as the surprised crowd gave him enough space to squeeze through. Finally through, Ranma inhaled. At last, he could breath again. Directing his gaze upward, Ranma's quick breaths stopped. One of the more cocky soldiers stood above a small child, shivering in fear at the towering man.

"You little brat! I'll get you for that!" A frightened woman shouted from a distance away, "Please Sir! She's only a child! She doesn't understand!" The soldier turned a cold gaze on her and she shut her mouth tightly. He replied "The little whelp bit my hand, she did! These filthy children need to be put in their place!" His hand came down quickly toward the little girl, and just as Ranma was about to leap in to stop it, there was another blur of a form, and some one had grasped the grizzly man's greasy hand in mid-strike.

There was a beautiful young women, raven haired and panting. There was a thin sheet of sweat covering her forehead, and fire glittered in her angry eyes as she used her strength to push the soldier's hand back against his will. His beady eyes showed shock mixed with amusement, as Akane managed to throw his arm back and deliver a sharp kick to his gut. His eyes widened, and he stumbled back a step.

Ranma's surprise was evident amongst his shocked features. Well this was a strange turn of events. A martial artist among the group. And pretty talented as well... for a girl, that is. His thoughts were interrupted at the choking guffaw he suspected was the ugly soldier's laugh. Now what was his name again? Randal. That's it, Officer Randal. Well, Ranma supposed he should put this fine officer in his place.

A fight had begun, after a quick exchange of insults, and Ranma looked up just in time to see the girl slip on a frozen puddle and fall to the ground. Her angry eyes became fearful, she knew she was caught. Ranma began to make his way toward the two, but they were some distance off. He had been on the farthest side.

"Soldier!" He tried yelling a few times, but the man could not hear over his own cocky taunts. He watched as Randal picked up the girl, who cringed but never cried out, and quickened his pace as he watched him hit her mercilessly in the sensitive spot in back of her head. Her eyes rolled back, and she fell limply to the ground. Ranma was running now, as Randall lifted his heavy boot to kick her again in the side. As he brought his foot down, Ranma grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back painfully and hooking his boot over Randall's while growling in his ear, "Get your sorry ass into the infirmary and pray to God this girl's okay." He then gave the man a rough shove, and he stumbled to the ground before running off to the infirmary.  
  
Please. I beg you to review. My life is nothing without the opinion of others. Just kidding. Review if you find time.


	3. My Own Tears of Blood

A/N: You know, the quote I used for this chapter came from the speech Markus gives to the people after Caesar is killed by Brutus in Shakespear's play. I had to memorize all of it for my history class...

Disclaimer: ...You know the drill.  
  
**Chapter 3: My Own Tears of Blood**

"_Oh judgement! Thou art fled to brutish beasts, and men have lost their reason. Bear with me; my heart is in the coffin their with Caesar, and I must pause till it comes back to me_." - Shakespear's _Julius Caesar_

Akane woke to the death white of a stucco ceiling and the rough fabric of a makeshift bed beneath her numbing back. At the slightest movement, she heard a soft crinkling beneath her of tissue paper. It felt like... a hospital. It smelled like a hospital. It looked like a hospital... it was a hospital. Her eyes snapped open once more. What the hell was she doing in a hospital!

Her thoughts raced, she tried to remember... but her head hurt so much. She bolted up, only to scream in pain as her vision washed over with bright light. The door was shoved open, banging slightly against the wall, and in came ...two complete strangers. There was a man. His funny white coat camouflaged his panting form in the heavenly room, only noticeable by his thick-rimmed glasses and hardly controlled mustache. Her thoughts were invaded with the familiar feeling of wiry hairs brushing up against her cheek as she giggled. It tickled.

Next to the man was a friendly looking woman. She was stout and pudgy, her stunning green eyes bent to convey her smiling lips and her graying hair pulled into a no-nonsense bun. The woman rushed toward her as the doctor tsked.

"Really, my girl! You are quite the little trouble maker! Challenging a huge ox like that soldier... now look at you! Practically tripping over yourself to sit up! Far too soon, far too soon! Just lie back down and we'll contact your family. Go on now, lie down!" Akane allowed herself to be pushed back onto the longue chair. She was in an infirmary. Her head felt light and... Akane reached up to finger her long black locks, only to find them gone missing.

Screaming again, Akane shrieked in panic, "My hair! What happened to my hair?!" The nurse looked at her surprised, her facial expression quickly turning from confusion, to understanding, to pity. "I'm afraid we had to cut it back in order to treat your wounds. Don't worry though, dear! It looks just darling like that, really!" The nurse reassured while handing the startled girl a mirror. Akane glanced fearfully at herself, surprised at the fact that, yes, it did indeed look better. Still... "But... I had wanted to grow it out... I wanted to grow it longer than Kasumi's..." Akane's face turned to shock realization.

"Kasumi! Nabiki! I was supposed to meet them here! Where are my sisters?!" Akane pleaded with the nurse. The plump women opened her mouth to answer, but was cut off by some one from behind Akane.

"Leave the poor woman alone, Akane." Akane craned her neck as far as she dared in order to see who the speaker was. Nabiki stood smirking in the doorway while Kasumi smiled pleasantly behind her. Akane leapt from the bed and stumbled toward her sisters, pushing the searing pain out of her mind. She latched herself onto Nabiki, who returned it, awkward but relieved none-the-less.

"Kasumi! Nabiki! I'm so happy to see you again! You don't know what it was like! I missed you so much!" She managed between sobs as she breathed in her eldest sister's scent.

"Oh, we missed you too Akane!" Kasumi cried lightly on her shoulder. The three siblings stood in a gentle embrace, not noticing the nurse take her leave.

Ranma paced outside the infirmary. Mumbling profanities and attempting to stomp on his anger. He had to gain control. He had to talk to his soldier. The afore mentioned man cleared his throat and looked fearfully at the officer wearing a groove in the ground before him. Suddenly, Ranma's head shot up and he looked at the soldier square in the eyes, beads of sweat forming on the larger man's forehead.

"You idiot! What the hell were you thinking, starting a scene like that?! You should be dismissed for that! Just tell me what was going through your thick head when you attacked that child?" The soldier looked down at the ground, scuffing his heavy boots on the pavement.

"Well Sir... ya see... The child... she- she tripped me, and I couldn't just let that whelp get away with it..." He replied meekly. "Bull shit! You had no right! That's assault, no matter who it was against, and you know that! Give me one reason I shouldn't send you packing soldier!" That got the other man's attention. "But- but Sir!" He stuttered desperately, "No one got hurt... everything worked out fine..." Ranma spared him a disbelieving glance.

"You sent a girl to the hospital. I carried her there... UNCONSCIOUS. You want to give me that line about, 'no one gettin' hurt'?" Randal stuttered again, "Sir, I..." Ranma growled, frustrated. "What?!" "Give me another chance. I swear by my honor that this will never happen again." Ranma, not one to deny a man his honor, dropped his head in defeat. "Damn right you won't. Get back to your position, and DON'T let it happen again."

He watched the giant slob shuffle away, disgusted at his own weakness. He could have protected that girl. He SHOULD have. It was his fault she was hurt. Maybe... maybe he should visit her. You know, make sure she was alright. Soothe his conscience and all. All right! It's settled then. Off to her room he went.

Akane was happy. Well, as happy as she could get in her situation. Her sisters were back with her, that little girl was alright, and she was alive. Hell, she even managed to accept her haircut. Now, if only she could remember what happened... Blue. That's all she could remember. Gorgeous blue eyes. Akane urged her blurred memory farther, trying desperately to remember who's the eyes belonged to.

Sighing at her own weakness, Akane stumbled and tripped over herself as she wandered down the hall, clad in nothing but a thin hospital gown and bath robe. Her clothes had been stained in blood from her injured head, and the hospital people had been kind enough to wash the stains out for her. Now she just wanted to see that little girl again. She was being treated hear for a minor bruise, or so Akane was told. A sudden wave of dizziness purged her current thoughts from her mind as she sank to the floor and groaned.

There was a shy tug at her sleeve a moment later, and Akane glanced over to see the little girl whom she had protected earlier, looking on her worriedly. "S'cuse me Miss. Are you alright?" She asked fearfully. Akane nodded, sending fresh stabs of pain through her skull. "Just a bit dizzy is all. Nothing to worry about, see?" Akane smiled while standing up, despite her dizzy spell, and the light blinking before her eyes.

"Is- is it because of... me?" The youth asked, on the verge of tears. Akane waved her arms.

"No! No! Of coarse not! I just... I'm so happy you're alright! I was dizzy with joy!" Akane smiled brightly at the girl, and she smiled back genuinely. "My name's Akane. Come on, let's head to the showers and get cleaned up before our... trip. Shall we?" The girl looked up at Akane and took her hand. "Okay."

"Uh... excuse me..." A deep voice half-whispered from behind the pair. The two stopped to look behind them. Blue eyes. It was him. It was the man from before... and he was gorgeous. He was a few inches taller than Akane herself, and had a lean but well-built body. He was obviously a martial artist, and judging by his stance, a good one. His gleaming black hair was tied in a braided ponytail, and he wore a formal military uniform. Akane opened her mouth to speak, but there was an odd lump forming there that hadn't been present earlier.

Clearing her throat, she tried again, but shut her mouth as the young girl beside her chirped. "Hi! My name's Ella, what's yours?" She smiled happily at him. Ranma tore his eyes away from the confused gaze the older girl was giving him. What beautiful brown eyes she had. Ranma thought back a moment. What had that little girl said?

"Hey there Ella. I'm Ranma, it's very nice to meet you." Ranma returned her smile gently, and crouched on his feet, extending a hand for her to shake. Ella skipped toward him, stopping abruptly before him and taking his noticeably larger hand in hers. She shook it vigorously. He fell back on his behind from the movement as Ella giggled sweetly.

"You're that nice man that saved Akane, aren't you? She got hurt cuz' of me..." Ella's little face took on a sad expression. The older girl, Akane was her name, set a hand on Ella's tiny shoulder.

"If it was anyone's fault, it was mine, Ella. Don't blame yourself, I shouldn't have fallen in the first place." Akane said, her voice taking on an angry edge. Anger at herself, Ranma supposed. She was angry she had slipped on the pavement. Ranma's thoughts were interrupted when a small hand entered his field of vision. Looking up, his eyes met Akane's friendly gaze as she offered him a hand up.

"I'm Akane. Thanks for... helping me earlier. I really appreciate it. Want to be friends?" Ranma accepted the hand hesitantly while keeping his eyes on her face. She really was beautiful. She was slightly shorter than himself, well-built and not lacking in figure. Her skin was delicate and her face slightly rounded. Her beautiful brown eyes melted with warmth and her short black locks framed her angelic appearances. She wore a blue colored hospital gown covered by a bath robe, and her legs were bare, showing an ugly bruise just above her knee. It was bluish black, but he could tell it was not a recent injury.

"Uh, don't mention it. I should be apologizing for my soldier's rash actions. He was stepping over the line." He bowed slightly, acknowledging both their heritages. He caught a glimpse of her delicate fists clenching at her sides, but a moment later, she returned the action.

"It's fine, really. I shouldn't have slipped. It was my own fault I left myself open like I did." He saw that same self-loathing in her eyes, and hastily comforted, "Hey, it wasn't your fault. Anyone could have fallen with all the frost on the ground. You really shouldn't worry about it." Her eyes softened a bit and she smiled genuinely at him.

"Thanks." Ranma melted before that smile. He could have sworn his heart stopped beating at that moment.

"S-sure."

Akane bit her lip in thought. Why not? She probably wouldn't see him again.

Akane leaned forward and gave him a shy peck on the cheek. "Thanks again for saving me." She whispered as she turned away, her cheeks burning. That hit to the head must have been more serious than she thought, otherwise she never would have done what she just did. Turning away, Akane dragged the smiling Ella away. The child giggled again.

"Bye Ranma!" Ranma waved somewhat shocked. His cheeks were, likewise, taking on a hue of pink, and he whispered confused to himself. "Damn she's cute."

The trip to the Fresno Assembly Center was anything but comfortable. They rode in the back of a creaky truck, dark and musty, with hardly room to breathe. There were so many of them. So many innocent lives, just like hers, that were to be locked up in some type of cage for who knows how long. All because they had the hard luck of wanting to live a good life in a supposedly free country that prides itself in being free of judgement.

'Look where that got us.' Akane thought gloomily. Kasumi and Nabiki sat beside her, looking off into space with occupied gazes. Before her sat a child, not more than ten years old, watching Akane like she were the devil himself. When she thought about it, the girl looked so much like herself when she was a child. When her father and mother brought her to America, promising her and her sisters a beautiful life. Now they were gone.

She had been alone for so long... so long that she could feel something amiss in her heart. Something that had once taken a huge part of her, giving her warmth and security, was now nothing but a void of cold nothingness. And how could she fill that void? Her sisters were with her once more, but... She felt it would take something much more severe to recover her security. On that day, that morning when she had been at home with her family.

Akane inhaled, taking in the fragrance of her mother's exquisite cooking. Jumping out of bed, Akane pulled on her sweat pants and cotton shirt, rushing out to greet her smiling family. Her father sat on one side, contentedly reading the news paper, a frown creasing is features. Kasumi walked by with a fresh load of laundry, and took to the ironing board as Nabiki did her morning stretches on the carpet. Akane hopped into the kitchen, pulling on a sock while heading toward her mother's back.

She gave her a gentle hug from behind, kissing her soft cheek lightly and greeting "G' morning mother! Is breakfast ready?" Mrs. Tendo chuckled affectionately. "My dear, you just missed it by an hour. I didn't want to wake you... you did get yourself hurt yesterday..." Akane groaned.

"Mother! Why hadn't you told me I was missing breakfast? Is there anything left?" Her mother handed over a buttered piece of toast and an apple. "Are you training today, dear? So soon after the last fight?" Akane groaned once more. This worrying concept was beyond her. Her mother could certainly be a pain sometimes. Why did she have to worry so much?

"Yes mother. I have to get better. They shouldn't have been able to hit me in the first place..." Her mother turned to face the frustrated teen. She began, "Akane, I know you want to become a good martial artist, but times are changing. No one wants to learn the art, and it's hardly acceptable for a young woman of your intelligence and appearance to go around sweating and getting into trouble! I know I have been hard on you in the past about acting like an acceptable young lady, but Akane, I love you the way you are. Your determination is what makes you the daughter I know and love, and I wouldn't do a thing to change that. You are a smart girl, Akane. I know you can make something great of yourself." At the time, Akane had just brushed off the lecture, classifying it as one of her "act more like a young woman" speeches. How she wished she could go back in time and tell her mother how much she loved her. How she would do anything to make her happy.  
  
Akane had been practicing in their run down Dojo, straining herself to her limits. She new what she had to do, and how to do it, but her body was just too damn slow! If it weren't for that horrid body of hers, Akane would have excelled in martial arts. She could have made a name for herself, and maybe, just maybe, she could gain enough fame to earn some students. Then maybe she could save the Dojo, and her Father's art.

"Dammit! Why can't I be faster?! I hate this! It's my fault we can't afford to live in our own home! If only we could have a few students to teach... Nabiki's earnings can't keep us alive forever!" Akane screamed at herself, anger driving her to punching a hole in the already patched up wall.

There was a loud racket coming form inside the house, and Akane's head shot up , her ears straining to hear more. What was that noise? Should she go check it out? Akane stood slowly from her spot on the floor, tip-toeing toward her back door. What was going on? She asked herself for the millionth time as the back door creaked open. She stepped inside carefully, finding the kitchen empty, she decided to try the living room when she heard another clash of sound coming from down the hall. Akane rushed toward her parents bedroom, sliding to a stop in front of the shut door. Carefully, Akane turned the handle and let the door hit the wall with a soft bang.

There were three men searching her parents bedroom, throwing open drawers and turning their attention away as precious glass figures shattered on the floor. One man shouted, and the two other's hovered above him, ignoring her presence for the time being.

Akane wanted to say something. She wanted to shout at them to leave her home, stop messing with her parent's things. But she couldn't. This was her home. The only place she ever felt safe, and yet, here are these men, rummaging through her only savior's compartments. Her attention was drawn as the man that had shouted lifted her father's katana from deep inside a drawer. It was sheathed and wrapped in her great-grandfather's flag, a great daimyo's crest embroidered on it.

"Here's our proof." One man replied gruffly. The other's stood from there searching positions and headed toward the doorway, only now noticing Akane. One man growled "Out of our way." As he shoved her aside, her back slamming against the wall. She stared in shock as a picture of her family fell to the ground, shattering from the impact. Akane turned her attention to the men, swiftly heading toward the living room with a fierce look of determination on their foul faces.

Akane raced after them, once again sliding to a stop in front of the living room. Her father sat on the old sofa, protecting her mother in a safe embrace as hot tears leaked from her watery eyes to the ground and dripped silently. She clung onto her husband desperately, knowing that if she let go, that would be the end. She would lose him. One of the men strode toward the cowering pair, speaking gruffly to them, "Either come with us willingly, and leave with honor before your wife and daughter, or we'll force you to come. Either way, you have no choice, but it's a hell of a lot easier if you come along quietly." Akane's heart wrenched when she heard her mother cry out, "You can't take him! He's very sick, He'll die if we're not there to take care of him! Please, you can't..." Soun Tendo held up an arm, his hand calling silence to his wife.

"Leave it be, there's nothing we could do about it. I'm nearly dead already." Her father was thrown into a coughing fit as he made his way toward the officers, giving Akane a reassuring smile, blood apparent on his lips.

Finding her voice Akane shouted out to the men, "No! Leave him alone! Why?! Why are you doing this?" She rushed at them, ready to do anything to free her father from his mysterious fate. Her mother watched horrified, as Akane struck the first man. Akane watched in horror as the man nearest her pulled out a small gun.

She watched his shaky hands cock the gun, and shut her eyes tightly as she prepared for the pain. He cocked it, and a blast was heard. She cringed, the loud commotion still ringing in her ears. But... no pain. She felt nothing. Akane's eyes snapped open in time to see her mother slide to the ground, blood soaking her white apron and sending red droplets down Akane's legs.

"Akane... Akane, I told you to watch who you... picked fights with." Her mother choked out, sending thick red saliva spraying onto the floor. The dying woman clutched her daughter's arms in a weak hug, and she smiled gently. Soun looked on in horror. Akane's eyes shined with tears. "Mo- mom.What did you d-do? No, please god! Why did you do that... Mom? Mom?!" Akane shook with sobs as she held onto her mother, clutching her and praying she was still alive. She was in her home. She was with her family. Nothing was supposed to happen to them! How could this happen? How?

Too lost in depression was she, that she didn't notice as they escorted a solemn Soun out the door, shedding his own silent tears. Nor did she notice when her sisters arrived at home, in shock and lost just as Akane herself was. She didn't notice the authorities arrive, or take her sisters away. And she hardly made a sound as they forced her clutch around her mother to lessen, and took Akane into special care. Akane was, for the moment, lost in the darkness of that void in herself. Unsure of where she was, or how to escape her own blackening heart.

Akane was shook out of her reminiscence when the rusty old truck jerked to a stop. She hardly noticed how the hours had passed. Now, she guessed, they had finally arrived at the damned prisons they had been sent to. The youth blinked several times to clear her thoughts and focus her eyes, then turned sullen eyes toward the back of the truck. Two men had come around toward them, and were watching the passengers as they slowly crept out from the darkness.

"Hey, you! Watch it, we don't need any trouble." One man said, indicating a rowdy young man who had refused to leave the safety of the vehicle. Some more decrepit looking people cringed as they were thrown aside onto the dirt. One man growled, "Hurry up. There's no room for slackers. Get out of here." Akane came out behind the old couple and gave the soldier a menacing glare which he promptly ignored. Jumping aside, she laid a hand on an elderly woman's shoulder and helped her up. She played with the idea of kicking the soldier man in the groin, but decided against it, seeing as how her brain wasn't quite functioning, and she needed a fight like a hole in the head.

"You will have assigned quarters. There should be a listing of members per household by each door. Families won't necessarily be placed together . Find your name and make yourselves comfortable." A young man declared from the center of the housings. Akane grasped Kasumi's hand gently and the three sisters headed off in search of their names.

Review if you'd like. I know I'd like it.


	4. Song of the Piper Boy

A/N: kay! Chapter Four! Um, when I posted the story the first time, I didn't realize this chapter wasn't done, so I finished it. There's a bit more for those of you who've already read it.

As for some questions and comments in the reviews... I was asked if people that were sent to the Detention camps still had homes to go back to once the war was over... well, I can't tell you yet. You'll just have to see! But I promise you'll know. It was also brought to my attention that most of the Japanese American citizens were paying taxes to support the makings of certain arms the Japanese used against us. I am quite aware that a majority of Japanese Americans were not so innocent as we are led to believe. I didn't mean for it to seem like it was only the Americans who were at fault, because that is far from the truth.

What I am trying to say is that all though there were many guilty of treason there were also a number of them who were innocent. It may have been very near impossible to pick out the culprits from the crowd, but that doesn't put those who took no part in it any more at fault. Please understand. Now I ask that you all have patience while I develope the story a tad more. You see, I'm at the stage I like to cal the "beginning", and thus, I have both the "middle" and "end" to portray my point.

Disclaimer: don't make me repeat myself.

****

**Chapter 4: Song of the Piper Boy**

"_Pipe my little piper pipe,  
Play songs joy and songs of light,  
For soon the laughter all falls down.  
The sky's a bleedin' Air rings profound.  
In comes the little soldier boy with all his little soldier toys,  
Guns a swingin' Torches held high. I stand alone as friends will die.  
Till this day I wait for you,  
Watching from the sky so blue.  
And forever shall I wait,  
Lingering before celestial gate.  
Forever shall I love you true,  
My piper boy I watch for you."_ - By author

It was simply a miracle that Akane and Nabiki had been housed together. There was no other way to explain it. Many of the family members had been split apart and housed on opposite ends from each other. Of course they could just switch places with another occupant to house with family, but there was only space enough for a certain number of adults and children, as well as the soldier's claim that it was a necessity to the insurance that all occupants were present and residing where they could easily be found.

Kasumi had been stationed somewhere towards the other side of the Assembly center, and had preceded there solemnly, promising quietly to come back and say hello once she was unpacked. Akane was anything but happy at the prospect of being separated from her sister any longer, Kasumi being the closest thing to a mother she had since the death of her official one.

A sudden thought occurred to her as the two sisters began to unpack. Akane exclaimed into the silence of the tiny room, "Oh, what about father, Nabiki? Do you think they've sent him here too? Oh, they must have! Where else would he be?" Nabiki looked stunned for a moment, but quickly gained her composure. "Akane, sis, don't get your hopes up. He wasn't doing very well when he left, and think what might have...er... effected him where he was staying." No use taking any chances. Akane was still so delicate after everything she saw at home... one slip of the mouth and she would totally loose it.

Nabiki took a quick look at Akane's face and immediately regretted saying what she had. Her younger sibling's eyes were downcast, brimming with tears and disappointment. "Hey, I could be wrong, right? No use getting all excited... why don't we go take a look, eh? I'm sure if he's here, we'll find him." At the words of her sister, Akane jumped up in excitement and raced toward the door, nearly pulling it off it's rusted hinges. She waited a minute or two before shouting back into the tiny shack, "Well, come on then, hurry up!" She shouted inside.

Nabiki emerged a moment later with her stony, neutral expression in place, even though she knew she would loose it in the face of her sister's disappointment when she found out he wasn't there.

Hopping out of the dusty jeep, Ranma made his way toward the back of the car, where his lonely pack and sleeping bag sat by themselves. He had driven up to the center by himself, deciding to take some time to discuss with himself the importance of his job, and deciding on the fact that he just needed to put a clamp on his conscience until this war was over and done with.

"That's right now, be a good little soldier and do the big guy's bidding..." He hadn't much of a choice anyway.

"Soatome, Sir! There's been a request for your presence in the south side of camp, Sir. Something regarding a refugee, Sir!" Ranma sighed and turned to face the eager young man. He smiled somewhat forced at him and responded, "On my way. Tell them I'll be there in a minute." The soldier brought a hand to his forehead in a sloppy salute. "Sir!" And dashed off in the direction he had come from.

"Request... I just got here... can't these fools do anything on their own?" But he threw his pack and sleeping bag on his shoulder and headed down the trail the soldier had just left by, grumbling incoherently all the way.

The Tendo girls had been searching for over an hour at each sign hanging upon every rotting cabin. Akane's happy outlook had long since diminished, and she was beginning to take on a more somber appearance. What if he really wasn't there? Where could they have taken him? Was he even alive after all those months in... who knows where?

"Nabiki! Oh, Nabiki you were right! He's not here! He might even... even be..." She couldn't bring herself to say it out loud, as if the mentioning of it might be a jinx sending him straight to his death bed. Just then, there was a muffled conversation steadily gaining volume just around the corner. It seemed some soldiers had a refugee under a sharp eye. They were heading around the corner now.

"D-daddy? Daddy, it's you!" Akane exclaimed in unbelieving joy, nearing the withered man. He looked near death as it was, but the joy in his eyes broke out at the sight of his daughters . He grinned happily, not saying a word, and suddenly the decrepit looking man was a whole ten years younger. He was with his family again, that's all that matters.

"My Daughters!" He bellowed in glee, and struggled against the arms that held him, gaining a swift twist of the arm. Akane stood transfixed with shock, while Nabiki stood not too far behind, her mouth open slightly as her eyes began to glisten.

This was impossible... it was a one-in-a-million chance that he had been transported to this camp, and even more shocking still was that he was sent to the camps at all, that he was still even alive. It was a miracle.

Akane couldn't speak. She stood stalk-still, not thinking, nor moving, nor hardly breathing. It was him. It was really her daddy, and he was back with them again. He was still alive, they were together again. Without knowing it, her feet began toward them at such a pace, she didn't even realize she had moved until she was nearly upon them. The men around him, which she hadn't taken much notice to prior to now, looked tense and bothered. She hardly noticed, nor cared when a stiff hand went automatically toward the gun at his side.

What the hell was going on here? Ranma watched with glazed eyes at the scene before him. They had been escorting that sick man to the infirmary beds, when suddenly they turned a corner, and there she was. Akane. That girl. She... she said... daddy? This frail old man who was considered so dangerous a criminal that even when flanked by several armed guards was still a threat? And he, Ranma, happened to be the lucky man in charge of the entire operation.

It was then he took notice of the tense guards with their guns aimed toward the happy pair. Akane was so close to him, the sick man who was so weak and malnourished that he could hardly lift his fragile head to notice his daughter was in danger. The only clue that he even knew what was happening around him were his watery tears hitting the ground in an almost rhythmical pattern. The barely audible thump they created when then hit the dusty floor. The other woman whom had accompanied Akane looked on in momentary shock. Her calculating eyes widening with a silent terror. Her father was nearly dead. Her sister was nearing her own untimely demise.

Ranma considered the situation quickly before raising a calloused palm and signaling the soldiers at ease. There was no threat hear. The least they could do was give the people some privacy and get the old man to the infirmary for some light treatment before he died on them. That was the best he could do, and it made him feel so damn helpless. But he wasn't out of the fire yet. The guards he had called off looked at him suspiciously. He had just acted on his instincts and didn't stop to think how it would effect the trust he was supposed to gain from these men.

Quietly, he reached for the small gun he was to carry with him. Ranma was a deep believer in honor and fairness, and in his opinion, guns were for cowards with no skill. Of course, in warring times such as these, a man would be dead without one. He popped it out of it's holster and pointed it at Akane.

"Don't go near that man." His voice was harsh, and he nearly winced as the girl turned her tear-stained face to him. Their was shock written across it, and a lingering joy at seeing her father, but no fear. The woman had a gun aimed at her head and she couldn't so much as show a damned ounce of fear. There was something else in the depths of chocolate brown, something heart shattering. Beneath the folds of braveness and spunk, this girl held an overwhelming sadness in her heart. Sadness and guilt.

As soon as she registered the gun in his hand, something clicked. A movie played across her mind's eye, fully accompanied by every sensory detail. It was as if she was there again... watching her sickly father being shoved out the door, smiling bravely while telling them it was alright. He would be okay... they would all be okay. But she knew it wouldn't. She knew, as soon as they drove off with her father, nothing would be okay. Her family, her home... it couldn't protect her anymore. So she attacked them, charged them with every intention of ripping them apart, so long as they didn't take her daddy.

And there was a gun. That man, that despicable pig, was going to shoot her. Her throat clenched painfully and her eyes burned with tears. No one would take her daddy from her. Her ears throbbed with her own heart beat, and she could barely hear her father shout at her, her mother scream, and the thunderous bang as the gun went off. It was all so real... so unbelievably real. Blood was everywhere, staining her sweat pants, spilled across the tiled floor - Oh no... her mother had just cleaned that... and her hands! Her hands were a dark dark red, almost black if you didn't look hard enough. But there was no pain. Just an overwhelming sense of fear as she looked down in front of her as her mother clutched her legs, and spoke her final throaty words to her daughter who had killed her.

It was all Akane's fault, and she knew it. Her mother would have died knowing her daughter had killed her, and her daddy left her - hated her.

Ranma watched her every reaction through her eyes. Shock, anger, pain, sadness, and guilt. Akane dropped lifelessly to the dirt, clutching her chest where her heart would be. She closed her eyes, took a few gasping breaths, and whispered over and over to her self.

"No, daddy... daddy please don't hate me. I didn't want mamma to die.. I didn't mean... daddy please..." She hunched onto the floor and began heaving, dry coughs issued from the delicate child and she began vomiting uncontrollably.

Ranma didn't know what to do. It was the last reaction he had expected, and nearly everyone was shocked to utter silence. The old man whom he assumed was her father shook from silent sobs, and the guards stood motionlessly, watching the poor girl suffer.

Suddenly the other woman with short brown hair and a cold stare, was shook out of her own thoughts and strode swiftly past Ranma. He let her pass him and crouch next the sickened girl. Her hands hovered shakily above the younger ones shoulders uncertainly.

"Akane - Akane stop. Don't do this, please. Sis..." She choked off her next sentence as her voice began to crack. Akane's vomiting became less until she finally stopping, and began coughing once more. Her sister placed her hands - still shaking - upon her shoulders and pulled her into a tight embrace.

Ranma, not knowing what to do, lowered his gun hesitantly. He watched as the woman with cropped brown hair wiped her eyes and stood up slowly, bringing her shaken sister up with her. Akane kept her glistening eyes downcast and trembled helplessly while her sister looked Ranma straight in the eyes. Her eyes, though slightly bloodshot, were cold and hideously dangerous.

"Monster."

Her voice was soft and rough, and she kept his eyes locked on hers. An emotion he couldn't identify surged through his veins, along with a very familiar feeling of fury. He waved his soldiers to continue bringing the man to the infirmary, gave Akane one last suffering glance, and turned sharply on his worn black boots, sending a flurry of dust behind him as he strode forcefully after his soldiers.

I'd deeply enjoy hearing your voices in such matters as this story deals with, so feel free to review.


	5. Another Day, Another Sorrow

A/N: Yeah! I updated! Applaud me! Cheer for me! Do anything but try to hurt me! I'm sorry it took so long for me to update, for those of you who care. I've recently had the schedule from hell, with two sports, a freakishly large sum of homework, and lack of sleep. It's all too much for a child like me. Anywhoo, some of you may have noticed that I started another story. Sorry guys, but it had to be done. Otherwise I get bored, and then I don't update at all. Yup, that's how my mind ticks.

Anyway, I checked my reviews. Thank you all, reviewers or not, that enjoy my story. You have no idea how happy that makes me. And yes, I put my characters through hell, but I promise you it will have a happy ending. Unless you want it to be sad. Or bittersweet, I like those kinds of endings. Well, enough stalling. On with the show!

WARNING: I'm afraid his chapter might not be up to par with the rest, I'm having what one might call, diary of the mouth accompanied by writer's block.

DISCLAIMER: Does anyone besides maybe a bloodthirsty lawyer read these? I do NOT own Ranma ½.

Chapter 5: Another Day, Another Sorrow

"_... And the world will be better for this_

_ That one man, scorned and covered with scars_

_ Still strove with his last ounce of courage_

_ To reach the unreachable star_."

- _"The Impossible Dream", Man of Lamancha_

Akane woke the next morning with the groggy feeling of not knowing where she was. She looked around the rotting wooden walls that surrounded her, but was utterly baffled as to how they got there. She was laid out across a bare floor, with nothing but a heavy snow jacket that she recognized as Nabiki's for a blanket. And speak of the devil - there was her elder sister leaning against the said walls, her chest rising and falling in a rhythmic pattern.

She got up slowly, every known muscle in her body aching in protest. Her formerly clean skirt and blouse were no longer such. The white in her collar was stained with sweat and dirt, and her neat black shoes were scuffed and ruined. Reaching a tender hand to her head, she fingered the unusually short locks and tugged at the bandage there. She knew she had to be missing something.

As she crinkled her brow in confusion, Nabiki stirred from her hour long rest with a groan. She blinked blearily and frowned.

"Akane, what are you doing up? Lie down or you might start barfing again." Akane turned toward her sister and blinked calmly.

"Nabiki, where am I?" She asked with a look of utter confusion written all across her pretty face. Nabiki scanned her sister's eyes. She wasn't kidding. She honestly didn't know what was going on...

"Akane, you're joking right? I mean, World War Two, Japanese internment camp... ring any bells?" Akane continued to look at her sister with her brow crinkled and her eyes blank.

"What are you talking about? I don't remember any of that." Akane turned in one slow circle, a thoughtful finger to her chin. She stopped at the sight of a rickety door that was falling off its hinges and made her way to it, thrusting it to the side, sending it off its last string and watched it skitter across the ground.

"Oops." She whispered dazedly and continued out the door. She stopped in the middle of the dirt infested road and looked clear across the camp, back and forth, several times. What... was going on? Why couldn't she remember? It was as if she just forgot... everything.

Nabiki hopped out of their little shack. It seemed there were several other people sleeping on the floor that Akane noticed only now. She turned to her sister and finally, it sunk in.

"We're trapped here?" Nabiki thought about it for a moment and nodded. She spoke softly, "I guess you could put it that way."

"Nabiki... why can't I remember? What's wrong with me?" And again, the shrewd sister fell silent, trapped in her whirling thoughts. Was she really that sick? This had to be some sort of after effect of yesterday's incident, but what exactly did that mean?

"Where's mommy and daddy? Nabiki, where IS everyone?" Oh no. Oh GOD no. Had she forgotten it ALL? Was Nabiki really going to have to tell her baby sister that their mother had died in Akane's very arms? That father was on the verge of death himself, and hardly recognized them because he was so far gone? Would this shit hole they were in be where her little sister finally lost her sanity? Would Nabiki be the one responsible? This wasn't happening.

"Akane... you don't remember anything... do you?" Akane laughed.

"Well, no, dummy. I Just TOLD you that. Jeez." Nabiki smiled. What the hell was she supposed to do? Keep it a secret? So that's what it comes down to. She cleared her throat several times, but the lump there wouldn't budge. She began coughing. She didn't know why, but there she was, bending to the ground, choking and coughing on her own tears. Akane bent down next to her immediately and rubbed her back in a soothing manner.

"Take it easy, Nabiki. It's all right." Typical. Akane just realized she had completely forgot at least two years of her life, she was alone with Nabiki in some dump that was no better than a prison, and here she was comforting her bawling sister. So strong, but when it comes down to it, Nabiki was a coward. That's so typical.

Nabiki swatted her sister's hand away. She choked out, "I'm fine. I just need to take a walk." and took off in a randomly picked direction. Akane was so strong. Even after all she'd been through... so much more than either her or Kasumi. So strong. And she, such a coward. Nabiki wasn't half of what her sister was. So why couldn't she tell her about mommy? Why couldn't she tell her about dad? She couldn't answer that. Something in her gut, something felt so scared. Something made her feel like the only way to save her sister, to keep her from crossing that line between hurting and insanity, was to keep everything a secret. The only people who knew was her, Kasumi, and Daddy. She wouldn't find out. Not now, not ever. Just forget the whole damn thing, and move on. Akane would be happy. She would be happy for all of them, even if Nabiki had to condemn her own happiness, Akane would be happy.

* * *

Akane was lost. She didn't know where she was, why she was there, or how she was going to get back. It was so quiet this time of day. It couldn't be anywhere past six thirty, and people were still cooped up in those wretched shacks. The air was chilly, the breeze was soft, and the sky was just turning blue after a long and dramatic show of red, orange, and the loveliest shade of pink she had ever seen. It was beautiful. But for some reason, she just couldn't enjoy it. Soemthing was nagging at the back of her mind, wanting to be let out. Something that she knew would hurt her, and for that reason, she kept it locked there, in the depths of her wounded thoughts and memories.

She continued to walk in one direction, hoping she would run into Nabiki or Kasumi, her mother or father. She reached a corner and began to turn, when she spotted a young man sitting on the roof of a shack in slightly better condition than the rest. She ducked back behind the wall and peeked out at him, watching from a distance.

He sat cross-legged, comfortable and serene. His face was turned toward the sunrise, and his hands were placed behind his head. God was he gorgeous. He was handsome, and yet... so very familiar. A light pain began tickling her head at the thought, and she touched her temple gingerly.

"You can come out now, I know you're there." Came a deep voice in a calm tone. Akane jumped at his unexpected words, and slammed her back against the wall behind her, breathing hard. She knew he was an officer, she saw his uniform. And she wasn't stupid either. She knew that if she were to be caught spying on a soldier, she would be in trouble. But she wasn't afraid. She feared no one.

Stepping out from behind the wall she huffed, and looked him straight in his shocking blue eyes. He gave her a hard look and nearly fell off his spot on the roof.

"Y-you ..." He added intelligently. Akane gave him an odd look. She demanded, "Well, what are you going to do with me, hm? What is it the great American soldiers do to us little prisoners when we go about too early in the morning? Beat us? Torture us? WELL?" She was quite peevish. This man must be stupid. He only looked at her incredulously when she spoke. It was getting her irritated.

He coughed lightly, and jumped to the ground gracefully. She was somewhat in awe of his supple movements. He must be a martial artist. He took a step toward her and looked at the ground. What was he doing? Did she know him? He murmured a quiet, "I'm sorry."

"Do I know you?" She asked irritably. What was he apologizing for? Was he mental? She was getting angrier and angrier by the second.

"Ouch. I guess I really deserve that. Um, listen, if I had any idea you would have reacted like that, I mean yesterday..." Akane snorted.

"What nonsense are you speaking? Honestly, I had no idea this place would be full of such weirdos..." Ranma's brow knitted together. He had just apologized. There wasn't anything he could do at the time... It would have cost him his job. His life. He would be put in jail, maybe even death row depending on how far the government took it. And his father would probably disown him. What did she want him to do? She could have been killed, and would have been had he not intervened, and she goes on about not knowing him. She was ignoring him, and Ranma Soatome did not take kindly to being ignored.

"Listen Ms. Tendo, I think you're forgetting your place. Don't get out of line, not everyone is going to be as nice as me." Akane abruptly shut her mouth and gave him a dirty glare. This girl had guts, he'd give her that.

"Nice! Nice he says! I don't know who you are, Mister, and I don't know how you know my name, but judging by how you've been treating me so far, I don't think you're very nice at all!" She yelled, and turned on her heel. He grew frustrated with her and shouted back, "Fine! Next time you do something stupid, I won't save your life, because the last two times I have don't seem to mean very much to you at all!"

Akane stopped in her tracks. She turned slowly and growled, "You obviously have gotten too cocky with your high and mighty 'soldier' position, because I don't qualify talking to me for five minutes as saving my life once, let alone two times! I think you're just a jerk!"

Ranma gaped at her, "So I'm a jerk and a weirdo, am I? You know, the first time I met you, I thought you were cute when you smiled! But now I realize just how UNcute you really are!" (A/N: And so the immaturity is finally revealed...)

Akane stood dumbstruck with her mouth half open to retort. A flash of something. An image of a little girl and beautiful blue eyes gazing at her in worry. The very eyes of the man in front of her. Something connected.

She had met him before.

With that sudden realization, a searing pain ripped through her brain, and for a moment her vision partially darkened. She knelt to the ground with a shriek of pain and began to tremble. She creamed at the man, "Go away! You have to leave me alone! It's you! Your hurting me! GO AWAY!" Ranma stopped in mid step toward the poor quivering girl. She was in pain. He was causing it? What the hell was going on here?

Several heads popped out from behind walls and doors, curious to see what was happening, but fearful at the same time. Ranma took another step, when her screaming began to die down. She had her hands buried beneath her velvety locks clutching her head, and trembling. Ranma knelt beside her and touched her shoulder. She didn't notice so he spoke softly.

"Ms. Tendo? Are you all right? Is there anything I can do? Akane?!" She stopped shaking and turned tear stained eyes to him. His heart wilted under that painful stare. He had been the cause of that?

She whispered softly after a few moments, "How do you know my name? Tell me!" She placed her delicate hands on his shoulders and shook him with the last of her strength before she had to slump against him to rest. She kept murmuring, "I can't remember you. I can't remember any of this. What's happening to me? Am I going insane? Am I?"

Ranma, awkward and panicked, glanced around at the little crowd, and swiftly picked Akane up, jumping from the first tiny roof to the next, to the next, and onward until he was a safe distance from everyone else. He didn't know why, But he wanted to stay with her until she stopped shaking. He wanted to be the one to comfort her, even if he was the one that caused her the pain. How selfish.


	6. And the Sky Burns Red

A/N: Thank you all so much for reading my story. It keeps getting harder and harder to continue, but I'm determined to do it. I'm sorry it takes me so long to update, but my schedules kind of clearing up. This chapter has more to do with Soun Tendo. Read and enjoy.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Ranma 1/2

Chapter 6: And the Sky Burns Red

_"The sickness- the nausea-   
The pitiless pain-   
Have ceased, with the fever   
That maddened my brain-   
With the fever called "Living"   
That burned in my brain."_

- Edgar Allen Poe _"For Annie"_

To live another day in the excruciating agony and sorrow that he lived in would be a level worse then Hell itself. With each passing day, he becomes blinded by memories of his sweet wife, shot and bleeding to death before his very eyes. He could have easily blamed it on Akane.... but... Akane was not to blame. It was out of love for him that Akane had made her actions, and it was out of love for their daughter that his wife had made hers.

Everyday, without fail, she is before his heavy-lidded eyes. Every night, without fail, she haunts his dreams with the same sweet smile, the same delicate voice, the same overwhelming love and brightness that he missed most when he thought of her. When he suffers most, she is there beside him, a delicate hand on his trembling shoulder, a sweet reassurance whispered in his ear.

Had he not some semblance of sanity, he would have believed that she was still very much alive, standing next to him, keeping him alive from this dreaded disease. But now he lay on the dusty floor of some run down shack of a building, heaving vomit in a battered metal tin. His throat constantly burning from the stomach acid forced up through his lips, and his ratty clothes soaked with spattered blood as he coughs away his life and will.

It would be a mercy to die. If there was any kind of god watching over him, any pitying man that could see him, they would have shot him when his wife died in Akane's arms. But no, he was stuck in some shit hole just north of no where, rotting away with the other half-dozen men dying next to him. It would be a mercy to die. It would be a relief.

"Father?" The voice was delicate, sweet, worried. It was the voice of Kasumi, and she was there beside him, helping him back upon his dirty linens, and covering him lightly with a lovely colored blanket he had never seen before.

"I made it just for you, Daddy. It's just for you." Kasumi whispered, her voice choked with tears, and her eyes shining in the dim light.

"We're all hear daddy. Me, and Nabiki, and Akane. We're all safe." Soun's eyes drifted shut for several moments, his breath shallow and quick. He moaned, "Haruko..." (A/N: Since the series never gave Mrs. Tendo a name, I gave her one. I found it fitting.)

Kasumi's breath caught in her throat. She held off her tears valiantly and whispered, "Yes Daddy... Mommy's hear too. She's always hear with you." Soun opened his glassy eyes again and turned to his daughters, weakly stretching his arms to touch each of them in turn. First Kasumi, his eldest daughter. The daughter that would sit hours on end with him as he stared at his old Go board, willing the pieces to move like they had so many years before when he played with his dear old friend Soatome. Then there was Nabiki. Ah, Nabiki. His stone-faced little money provider, and family supporter. Without her diligent workings and sly mind, they would have been living on the streets far before this terrible ordeal ever occurred. Through her tough appearance and monotonous icy act, she was the most caring, loyal girl he had ever met.

Finally, there was Akane. Dear, sweet, strong Akane. Akane who had been through so much, and complained so little. The headstrong little girl who had emboldened their timid family the first years of their lives in America. Akane had kept all of them afloat - providing gaiety to those who were down, laughter to those who cried, love to those who were most alone, and courage to those who were before so unsure. How could he ever think of blaming Akane for Haruko's death? He saw so much of his late wife in Akane. So much...

"Akane... I could never blame you. Never. I " Hear Soun began to choke, the effort of speaking almost to great for him. But he wanted her to know...

Akane placed a gentle hand on her father's trembling shoulder, and Soun halted with the familiar feeling. So much like her. He wanted them all to know...

"Be strong. I want -" and hear he shuddered, coughing, his hand coming up bloody and slick. He held a placating palm toward his daughters who were in the middle of moving to his aide. He began again in a throaty, weak voice, "I want all of you to live in happiness. For your mother... and for me."

"But father - you'll be alright. You'll -" Nabiki interrupted Kasumi's frantic assurances with a sharp intake of breath. Soun sighed wearily.

"My only regret is that I won't be here to see my beautiful grandchildren; as I know they will be... with such wonderful mothers... " Kasumi took a shaky breath, and leaned on Akane for support. Akane held fast to her sister, her eyes shining magnificently with tears of anguish. Kasumi fell silent as her body racked with silent sobs. Nabiki wiped vigorously at the rivulets of salty tears trailing down her pale cheeks.

"Come on, Kasumi. We had better let him get his rest. Come on, let's go..." Akane lead her hysterical sister out of the shack, but not before touching her father's grimy face gently, whispering, "I'll always love you, Daddy." And smiling one of her magnificent smiles.

Before departing, Kasumi slumped to the floor, grasped her father's chilled hand, and kissed it, looking meaningfully into his eyes and letting out an anguished cry. Nabiki helped her to her feet, and waited until they had left the room - shutting the door softly and carefully, as if the slightest noise might shatter their last shred of composure. Nabiki turned to her father. She had to be strong. She had to give him hope, however false it may be.

"Daddy... you- you don't need to worry about us. We'll be all right, I'll make sure of it." Soun smiled languidly and nodded, too physically weak to do much else. He whispered, "I know", and touched the hand that lay on his bedding.

"And Daddy... don't die on us. It might be too much for Akane to handle. It would be too much for any of us to handle." Soun gave her one last lingering look, so full of meaning that Nabiki had to turn away at its implications. She knew now, and there was nothing she could do about it except to try and keep her sisters protected from such devastation.

"We love you so much daddy. Remember that." Soun watched as she staggered to the rotting door and left without another glance backward. Typical Nabiki. But he knew she would keep her word. Nabiki was reliable that way.

There was a rasping next to him, and one of the other men who occupied this death shack spoke humorously, "You know, those are some... some mighty fine kids you got there buddy. You're... pretty lucky." Soun was quiet a moment, his vision too blurred with tears for him to see clearly, and he smiled, letting the heavy rivulets spill from his eyes and soak his bedding beneath.

"I know."

* * *

The afternoon air was heavy with heat, dust, and silence. A silence that could rival the dead's - for anyone who was brave enough to leave there tiny shacks, was left heaving silent sobs behind some rotting shack or another at their own misfortune. They all knew - they would be here for a long time. 

Akane sat motionlessly on the dusty floor outside of their new home, staring off into the great expanse of nothingness that surrounded them. She had left Kasumi to Nabiki, who had insisted that Akane stay inside their shack. She had promised innocently, but when she reached the hut, it was far too stuffy inside, so she decided to sit in the shade of its walls outside.

The same man from earlier - Ranma was his name? - occasionally passed by, eyeing her warily. But she knew he was looking after her. He was strange that way. Minutes ticked by so that she lost track of the time and was surprised at the sky abruptly changing colors as the sun set, until it was soaked with a beautiful red, as if the sky was bleeding, caught in a fire lit by the sun, and carried on to the clouds.

She was so fatigued and occupied by her own thoughts that she hardly noticed the man in the distance. He looked vaguely familiar, slouched and staggering, as if he was walking on sheer willpower and his body just followed along for the ride. He was so far away that it was hard to tell, but once she looked at him, really looked at him, she was at once aware that she new the man intimately. It was her father... and he was walking with something in his hand. The object gleamed in the last rays of the sun, and a knot the size of a melon formed in her stomach. Dread filled her every sense... because in his feeble hands, her father held his old samurai katana.

Before Akane could even finish putting this thought together, Soun began his ascent toward the guard's tower. He leapt with nimble feet and a grace she had not identified with her father since their lives in Japan had ended. He was upon the guards before they could blink... but they had a weapon more powerful, more dangerous than a sword - even more so than Soun's burning hate.

The guards hesitated for only a moment, shouting a warning to the old man to stop while he was ahead. They were young, and it was clear they had never killed a man before. Soun continued mercilessly, too consumed by the emotions that had tormented him for far to long. His warrior's cry was stopped short by a loud, cruel, blast. Soun landed on his feet for a moment, and then crumpled to the ground like a Marionette cut from its strings.

Akane froze mid step. Her heart was pounding in her ears, her brain screaming at her in disbelief. She started forward at a run, but was caught by the arm and dragged back. She pulled against the restraint, heedless to the person holding her, and screamed in such agony and such heart wrenching sadness that her captor nearly lost his composure.

She pulled and tugged, screaming, crying, cursing. She was going to kill them. How dare they do this? Not after all she had been through... not after...

And then it hit her. A rush of images crowded her mind, pushing and shoving one painful thought to the next. She screamed again, her cries revealing the most hideous inner pain that one could possibly imagine, her eyes wild, her face wrenched in suffering. She crumpled in exhaustion, still writhing madly on the sand-crusted floor, her hands digging through her hair, pulling and clawing until she had yanked black clumps of it out of her scalp. It was over. She was cured. She remembered everything... and it was tearing her apart.

"Stop it! Stop it Akane! You're hurting yourself! Dammit, I said stop!" Ranma grasped her frantic hands, pulling them down to her sides and hugged her shaking form from behind, trying desperately to stop her before she killed herself. Akane's eyes never left her father, fragile and broken in a heap of torn rags as the sandy cracks in the floor soaked up the syrupy blood that had formed out of his wound.

His noble sword hung limply from his pale hand, the engraved handle shining elegantly from the red sea it laid in. It was on that day that this man so immersed in misery finally felt relief at the expense of his life. Akane shook violently in Ranma's grasp, too weak to struggle any longer. She slipped free of his grasp - Ranma letting her go freely - and crawled over to her father's chilled corpse. The guards had stood there distance, and now they took their leave at Ranma's harsh command.

Akane knelt over his prone form and gently cupped his head in her trembling hands. She brought his face to her bosom and kissed his hand delicately. A tear dropped from her chin, the salty taste still lingering on her lips. She couldn't stop now, the tears were coming rapidly and uncontrollably. They mingled with his blood, and dampened his shirt. They were on their own. She had to be strong for all of them now...

She would work hard in their memory.


	7. As Life Goes On

**A/N:** Ha! Finally! She updates! I actually started this on Pearl Harbor Day... I wanted to get it done, but I was having a little dilemma I like to refer to as "writer's block". So here 'tis. The next chapter may have a little more... "fluff", but I'm not really that kind of writer, and anyways, I wanted to introduce Ryoga more into the story. As you can tell, relationships are different here because of the situations they grew up in. Anywhoo, on with the show.

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Ranm ½. I do not own the quote taken from "The Octopus" (obviously), nor do I own the _Chattanooga Choo Choo_... but wouldn't it be swell if I did?

**Chapter 7: As Life Goes On**

"_...but if these are the last words I ever speak to you, listen to them, and remember  
them, because I know I speak the truth. Evil is short-lived. Never judge of the whole  
round of life by the mere segment you can see. The whole is, in the end, perfect."_

Spoken by Vanamee in "_The Octopus_", _Frank Norris_

It hurt. She couldn't lie... it hurt like hell. It felt like she had plunged her own trembling hand into the depths of her bosom, and tore her throbbing heart out. It felt like she had torn each fingernail from each slender finger, each toenail from each delicate toe. It felt like so much pain, so much suffering had just begun. But... it would cease. The days would go on, the sun would set, and the next morning, rise in its infinite glory.

Some people say the day you are born is the day you begin to die. Those people are usually the ones without friends, without a job, and without dreams to keep themselves occupied. Some people say you're born to work, live to work, and die working. Again, another eternal pessimist. But if you asked anyone who cared... anyone who could find some splinter of happiness in a world where there was so much misery, you might be told differently. They might tell you that there were some things on this wasted planet worth living for. A lover, maybe, or a cat.

A family who had all but been destroyed, yet still couldn't find it in their god-forsaken pride to stop trying. That was the family she lived in. That was the family she worked so hard to support, so hard to please. No matter what ordeal they put you to, it doesn't matter if you're sent to hell and back, there is always someone out there that feels your pain too. That's what keeps you trying. That's what keeps you alive. And that's why she would continue to care for her baby sisters until the day she died.

* * *

"Uhm, is there a Miss Tendo in there?" Ranma whispered to an older female nurse who sat at her make-shift desk tapping a pen idly. She looked up through horn-rimmed glasses, and smiled curiously at him.

"Why, yes Sir. She came in a few hours earlier with another young woman. Long hair, kinda pretty. They both looked terrible. She was supposed to be out by now. Let me go and fetch her." Ranma scratched his head in thought. He cleared his throat.

"Actually, you better not. I was just doin' a check up. There was a disturbance by the guard tower earlier this evening." The nurse stopped tapping her abused pen, and gave Ranma a long, careful once over. She nodded.

"A disturbance, hey? What kind of disturbance, if I may be so bold?" Ranma looked toward the ground, his scuffed shoes resting on an even dirtier wooden floor. He shook his head, and gave the nurse a silencing glare. "I'm sorry Ma'am, but that ain't your business. Have a good night." He began his slow descent toward the door, his unfocussed gaze a sure sign of a wandering mind.

What now? Should he just... leave? He stopped suddenly, turning toward the curious woman on another pen tapping rampage. She was carefully studying a form in front of her as her battered writing utensil continued its glorious march on the desk. She sighed after a long moment of tense silence.

"Can I help you with something Sir? A glass of water perhaps?" Her voice teetered on the edge of arrogant sarcasm. Ranma ignored it, bringing his calloused hand toward the pigtail by the nape of his neck. He spoke slowly, still thoughtful, "On second thought, could you retrieve Miss Tendo and her family and send them to the evening guard post as soon as possible? I would like to speak with them privately." The Secretary remained where she was, watching Ranma expectantly. He cleared his throat audibly, "Er... now, please?"

The woman jumped to attention, pushing the horn-rimmed glasses farther up her nose and huffing. She walked swiftly to the door adjoining the rooms, running a plump hand through her curly orange coif. She hesitated only a moment, sending a disappointed glance toward the handsome young soldier. The rosy blush that accompanied her shocking red lipstick could hardly cover the flush of anger overpowering her features. She opened the rotting door, stepped through in one hurried shuffle, and slammed it behind her.

Ranma stood for a few moments more, his eyes never leaving the door. Now what was he going to do? What was he going to say to them? What was he _thinking_?

* * *

Akane sat beside her sisters in utter silence. Her mind raced in wretched circles as her body sat rigidly in front of the night-watch post. Kasumi sat beside her, a small dirty rag in hand, polishing the bench they sat on idly. Her hands twirled the fabric expertly, while her gaze darted in and out of focus. Nabiki was beside her, her face deliberately kept unreadable, her arms folded before her. Her ragged skirt clung to her shapely legs as she crossed and uncrossed them leisurely.

"Kasumi, I think its clean now." Nabiki spoke irritably. Kasumi halted in her cleaning duties, but her eyes remained on the hand holding the rag. She paused for a moment, no one so much as breathing, before Kasumi resumed her task.

"Just a bit more I think." Nabiki rolled her eyes drastically, and Akane parted her chapped lips. She whispered delicately, "Let her do what she wants, Nabiki. She's just trying to..." Nabiki gave her younger sister a hard look, and Akane met it only for a moment before looking away. Nabiki responded coldly, "To what, Akane? To distract herself? To _forget_? I've got news for you sis, she can't. You _can't_. He's _dead_. Daddy's gone, and it won't just go away."

Akane flushed with anger and shame. "I _know_ that Nabiki, I was there, remember? He died in my goddamned _arms_ for heaven's sake! If any of us should be trying to forget, it should be me! You have no idea what it's like... I keep seeing it. It keeps playing over and over and _over_, and I can't stop it!"

"You _can't_ forget it, not anymore. So don't -"

"Stop it! Both of you, just stop!" Kasumi screamed, her voice cracking as tears stung her swollen eyes. She choked, "Now... now more than ever. We need each other. We have to... take care of each other from now on." Kasumi was silenced as a new onslaught of sobs overcame her. Nabiki closed her gaping mouth guiltily, and Akane placed a trembling hand upon her suffering sister's shoulder. They remained quiet once more.

There was a polite cough from several feet away. They all turned to the source, only to find a very familiar officer before them. Ranma cleared his throat awkwardly. He began, "I'm very sorry for your... loss. I am deeply grieved that you had to experience something as terrible as this under the supervision of my officers." Nabiki interrupted snidely, "Well, our stay here hasn't exactly been a picnic, you must realize. Besides the obvious, I mean."

"Nabiki!" Kasumi warned. Ranma held his silence. Akane looked away from the man. No, not the man... the boy. He couldn't have been any older than herself. She waited expectantly, looking everywhere besides the sorrowful faces of her company.

"Well, what is it that you want? You're the one who called us here." Akane finally added. Ranma looked toward her in mild surprise, and for a moment, their eyes met. She shivered audibly, the empathetic look in his gaze both angering her, and relieving her. She snapped again, "What?"

His face remained solemn, though the foggy hue of his eyes cleared slightly at her spunky behavior.

"I just wanted to allow you my deepest regrets, and to let the three of you know that - off the record - if you ever need anything, let me know." Nabiki snorted vulgarly.

"How about you let us out of this god-forsaken prison so we can get on with our pathetic lives, that you and your company so graciously interrupted?" Nabiki spat sardonically.

"I thought not." she added as she stood abruptly, pulling Kasumi with her.

"Come on Akane, we're leaving." Akane stood, hesitating as Nabiki strode forcefully toward the rotting shack in which they were to call home. Kasumi followed closely behind, though much less willfully than her younger sister. Akane and Ranma watched them for a moment before Ranma bowed shallowly toward Akane. She waited.

"You should have let me kill myself." Her eyes shone in the moonlight, her gaze was hard. Ranma tilted his head to the side, and a smile flitted across his handsome face. He lifted one calloused hand to pat the top of her frazzled hair, and shook his head.

"Courage comes from being strong when people need you most." He shifted his gaze to the spot where the Tendo sisters had been several moments ago before turning on his heel and walking away from Akane.

"G'night." He called as he flung a lazy hand in the air in a farewell gesture. Akane stood several moments more, planted to her spot. A melody escaped from the direction of his departure as he began whistling. It was slow, almost lazy. It gave her an inexplicable feeling of relaxation, almost like she was home again, watching her father play another game of Go against an imaginary opponent as her mother hustled around in the kitchen nearby, humming the _Chattanooga Choo Choo_. A calm enveloped her. She shook her head at the ease in which he had turned her emotions against her. She was so simple-minded.

She smiled serenely as she followed her long-departed sisters, humming a slow, lazy tune.

* * *

"So I hear there was a bit of a problem over by the east watch tower. Some deranged old man tried to kill the guards or some such." A young man commented in the close confines of the soldiers' quarters. He shuffled through his small hand of cards, grimacing noticeably at the lack of advantage he held.

"I heard somethin' o' that sort too, come to think about it. It might be the start of a big rebellion." The man next to him twanged as he chewed the end of an old cigarette.

"Gee, Andy, maybe you should try an' lay off some of that smoking. It'll kill ya' long before this dam war will." a man across the card table answered to his consistent cigarette chewing. He added, "I mean, who knows where you came up with that dirty old thing you keep sticken' in yer mouth. It's an addiction, that's what 't is. Gimme that." He scolded as he leaned across the table swiftly and deftly caught the stub of nicotine between his fingers as he yanked it from his comrade's mouth.

"Ay, maybe if there's a rebellion, we kin' blow off some o' them traitors' scrabbled little heads." The addict, Andy, added as he replaced the stolen cigarette with his dirty stub of a fingernail.

The first soldier huffed indignantly, "Andy, that ain't no way to talk about anybody! I don't care where the hell they came from, they're American citizens!" He was quite a bit younger than the other five or so crowded around the table. Two or three of them scoffed and snorted.

" You're just a kid... you don't understand anything." A bristly older man rasped. Then another soldier piped up, arguing, "If he's old enough to kill a man, I think he's old enough to make up his own mind, Chip, don't you?"

"Yeah, an' they got a lot of pretty meat with 'em, as it happens. Why, I saw quiet the little lady walking around outside just this morning. There aren't many of 'em walkin' round as yet - they're all too scared to leave their cabins, but this one, she was a real beauty." Most of the men perked up. Ranma snorted in disdain from his leisured sprawl across the room. Men are still men, I suppose. Even in these circumstances.

An unlikely response came from Ryoga, who was carefully looking over his hand.

"I saw her. Man, was she a real ace. Huh, Ranma? Just ask him, I saw him talking to her just a few hours ago. Was she just as pretty close up?" Ranma shook his head at Ryoga's naivety, and was quick to answer.

"I don't know what you're talking about soldier, but what I do here is my own business, not yours." He stood from his lounging position and stretched his arms freely before leaving the room without another word. Ryoga remained silent, watching as he left the room, while several of his friends shrugged easily and returned to their game of poker.

"Read 'em an weep, gentlemen. Four of a kind." Several men surrounding the older man known as Chip, threw down their cards, groaning and cussing.

"I'd like to see someone wipe that smug look off your dam face you cocky bastard, hm? Any takers?" Ryoga drew his attention back to the game for a moment, most of his thoughts being focused on the departed Ranma. He slapped his cards down on the table while his eyes remained on the door.

"Straight flush. Excuse me, buddy." He added to a man sitting behind him as he pushed through the collection of men to get to the door. He left swiftly, following after Ranma.

When he reached him shortly and unexpectedly, it was all Ryoga could do not to crash into him from behind. Ranma yelped, "Hey watch it!" And Ryoga backed off quickly. He stuck a hand behind his head sheepishly before clearing his throat.

"Um, sorry Ranma, I know it's none of my business but... is there - is there something going on here that I should know about? You know, about what happened earlier?" Ranma's angry gaze softened at Ryoga's flustered face. He turned somewhat away from his friend before answering gently.

"She lost her father, Ryoga. And her mother. Both times it was our fault - the Americans' faults. The governments fault. I just thought I could show her a little sympathy, that's all." Ryoga watched Ranma's face as he spoke. After a short pause, he elbowed the pigtailed boy in the ribs and added playfully, "You sure, Ranma? That girl's one fine miss, if I do say so myself. Could there be anything, you know, going on between you?" Ranma's face flushed pink at his insinuation, and he shoved Ryoga away from him.

"N-no! Of course not! With a girl like that? I'd half to be insane! She may look nice on the outside, but man, she's tough. And stubborn too! Hardly a girl at all, if you know what I mean." Ryoga looked amused, and then his expression fell into solemness.

"I guess you'd have to be, after what you say she's been through." The pink hue of Ranma's cheeks vanished, and he was silent. He nodded without a word. Ryoga watched him out of the corner of his eye as they walked in companionable silence back to the soldier's quarters.

"But... since there's obviously nothing going on between you two, then I guess I'm free to go and offer her a friendly lap to cry in..." Ryoga added, looking off toward the small shacks that lined the racetrack the camp was created on.

"You do and I'll break your legs." Ranma answered immediately, a hint of possession in his threat. Ryoga turned to him and smiled, knowing he had caught him in his lie. Ranma growled at the smug grin on Ryoga's face, and he sucker punched him squarely in the face.

"What the hell was that for?" The fanged boy yelled from his sprawled position on the floor. He wiped the dirt from his pants and spread his legs out in front of him, sending a heated glare toward his lead in command.

"A love tap." Ranma shrugged as he continued toward quarters with his hands behind his head, smiling widely.

**Just know that I'm working on the next chapter as I speak... but I'd feel oftly special if you sent in a review. Thanks a bunch.**


	8. The Man Can't Hold His Liquor

A/N: Slightly off topic but... I was happy to discover that I'm not the slowest author to update here. What a relief. But okay, down to business. Last time, I was asked very politely to incorporate more "fluff". You are absolutely right... this _is _a romance story, after all. I would have done it sooner but... I suck at that kind of stuff. Why, then, would I write such a story? You got me. I have no idea. So here's my version. I didn't really like how it turned out, but... whatever.

I got a review from a history fanatic last chapter. Thank you for giving it a shot (if you're still following my updates). I was kind of offended when they questioned my knowledge of japanese detention camps. There actually were plenty of Japanese-Americans involved as soldiers during WWII. They were known as the 100th Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team (RCT). They won assorted awards for their courage and loyalty inside and outside of battle. As for any Japanese-Americans being generals... The history fan was absolutely correct. There is no way they would have had someone like Genma as a general, but... that's why it's called fan _fiction. _I hate to risk angering anyone but I don't think I need to take an "f-ing history class" to know that fiction means that the story is, well, NOT REAL. Now that that has been said, on with the show!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Ranma ½. I wouldn't dream of selling a story like mine for any profit whatsoever, and I hope Rumiko Takahashi would forgive me for butchering her creativity.

Chapter 8: The Man Can't Hold His Liquor

"_I distrust a man who says 'when'. If he's got to be careful not to  
drink too much, it's because he's not to be trusted when he does."_

Sydney Greentreet, _"The Maltese Falcon"_

It had been... it had been a long time. Almost six months now, since they first arrived at their designated shacks. Akane had made a habit of waking up early each morning and watching the sunrise. She would sit quietly on the ratty porch outside their homely little rut in the dirt, breathing contentedly, sometimes humming. Occasionally, Ranma - er... Mr. Soatome - would appear to keep her company.Now, as Akane sat before the golden expanse of nature's masterpiece, her thoughts were in turmoil.

Nabiki would have her eighteenth birthday this coming week, and Akane desperately wanted to do something special for her. Ever since the tragic loss of their dearly departed father, Nabiki had become even more distant with her two suffering sisters. She spoke less often, her responses were cut short, almost snappish, and her facade remained a frozen mask of ice and steel. Her gaze left frost nipping at your stomach, and she was seldom approached by any of the other internees. Akane could say one thing to her sister's credit though, and that was her ability to make even the officers soil their uniforms under her vigil glare.

Kasumi, on the other hand, had become more concerned with the community as each day passed. She had already organized a small community of victims under her wing. They worked days and evenings to furnish each other's homes with makeshift tables and chairs, doctor the ill, and continue the teachings of American pride to the youngest of the prisoners.

Amazingly, through all of their trials and tribulations, these loyal citizens kept their faith in the United States. Things couldn't go on like this much longer. The Government would have to realize eventually that their wasn't anyone here willing to destroy the future they had in this foreign place - for themselves, let alone their future generations. And Akane admired them for that.

"Hey there, tomboy. Watching the sunrise again, hm?" A familiar voice drifted across the silence to fill Akane's ears. She grinned stupidly as a familiar giddiness overtook her senses at his nearness. Ranma hopped down from whatever absurd position he had been in moments before, and perched himself several feet off from her, balancing easily on the unstable railing connected to the rotting wooden stairs she sat on.

"Yeah." She said simply, her voice barely above a sweet whisper. Her former thoughts bombarded her in a rush, and nervousness replaced the warmth bubbling in her chest. She ripped her gaze from the mellowing fire in the sky, and set her intent doe-like eyes upon the young soldier before her. His hair was pulled back into a familiar braided pigtail. He wore faded cloth pants that were ragged from use, and his formerly white t-shirt had been stained an unflattering brown hue. Just where the loose fitting shirt came to tuck into his pant waist, a band of white peaked through, as the only unstained area of this monstrous shirt. His face was pale with the exception of the rosy patches of color blotting his cheeks. A thin sheet of sweat glistened on his forehead in the morning light. She figured he had been training before he made his appearance.

"...Ranma?" He jumped slightly. She wouldn't have noticed if she hadn't been studying the way he moved for the last six months. It was very subtle, a twitch at most, but she loved when she could catch him off-guard. He looked directly into her smoldering chocolate eyes, now a muddled mess of emotions. She kept her gaze timid as she wrung her idle hands viscously and without pause.

"Can I ask you a big favor?" His gaze darkened. He looked uncertain for a moment, debating wether to trust his mouth or not, should he decide to answer. He replied hesitantly, carefully.

"It depends... what is it?" He remained cautious as she sputtered a bit before whispering to him, as if she were afraid someone might overhear.

"It... it's my sister's birthday next week. She's been so uptight... I really wanted to do something special... something to make her smile. I know it's contraband, but can you... get me a camera?" She cringed at the concealed anger on Ranma's face.

"Are you insane? I told you already, even minute things like that could end up getting me kicked out of this place for good! It'd be a mercy if they sent me to jail until the war was over!" Akane watched her dirty feet as Ranma responded in a barely restrained voice.

"But, Ranma - it's only a little thing! It would mean so much to her..." Ranma shook his head resolutely, standing up and taking the steps three at a time. He replied in a final tone, "Absolutely not. I won't take the risk, even for you."

"Fine! I'll get one myself somehow! I don't need any help from you!" She huffed, her voice rising in anger. She could get one on her own somehow. There had to be someone in the camp that had a camera. She'd get one somehow.

"Fine! You do that, and don't come crying to me when someone finds out and you get yer damn ass whipped. You can't say I didn't warn you." His brow crinkled as his frustrations surfaced, his smoky eyes clouded with worry, and his chapped and chafed lips curved slightly downward. The only girl he really cared about in this camp was just about to put herself at risk, and there was absolutely nothing he could do besides sacrifice his own reputation and honor to stop her.

"Fine!" She shouted back, unaware of the violent scuffle his thoughts were in. She gave him one last, lingering look of childish hate and disappointment, before fleeing into the relative safety of the shack she shared with her two elder sisters.

* * *

"So... You know someone who can get me one?" Akane asked eagerly. The elderly internee nodded. Her crisply tanned face and arms almost entirely hid the dark splotches of black and brown dotting her skin that had developed through the numerous years she spent working in the fields. Her frail hands trembled with delicacy as her mouth turned up in a mass of distorted wrinkles - something Akane assumed to be a smile. Her eyes were nearly overcome with the sagging bags that were once her eyelids, and her stringy pepper-colored hair was twisted into a tight, neat, knot on top of her flat head.

"My neighbor back home is such a dear. A sweet young man. He's an artist - a photographer... it would be no problem at all. He'd even send over some film for free." she rasped slowly, torturing Akane in her haste.

"That would be wonderful, Mrs. Yasuo! Here, I can even give you the money now." She responded as soon as the old lady had finished. She pulled several bills out of her pocket, pushing them into her tiny withered hands. Akane smiled encouragingly as the old woman shuffled back into the confines of her shack, several small children giggling in a rowdy game of cat and mouse on the front steps.

"I'll do it without that jerk. I don't need him anyway." She mumbled darkly to herself as she walked down the dusty paths of the "prisoner's quarters", as was the popular name among refugees. To one side, Akane saw a young woman dressed in a ratty green dress and a dirty apron tied about her waist. Her hair was pulled into a long braid that reached down her spine like a silky black snake. She nodded a pleasant hello as she continued hanging laundry on a line reaching across the side of the shack. A man came up behind her and gave her a quick embrace and peck on the cheek before heading down the road, away from Akane. For some reason unbeknownst to Akane, that kind of intimacy made her stomach clench in a depressed sort of jealousy.

The young girl with the tabby cat that had ridden in the truck with Akane before this whole ordeal began was there as well. She sat quietly on the ground before a small wooden cross - a makeshift grave marker. Below the cross, the child wrote the name "Mitty" over and over again in the cracking dust, and placed what looked like an old gathering of yarn before the grave site.

Akane passed on. She came across a young man, no older than 19, cradling a delicate infant to his bosom protectively. She caught bits of an old lullaby, drifting across the hot still air to her waiting ears. On the porch sat a decrepit man, hunched over haphazardly in an old chair. His face was weary. Before him on the porch step sat a young girl, her face upturned to his, searching it worriedly as his chest began to shake with violent coughing before her. She clutched his hand, smiling encouragingly, "You're okay, Grandpa." Akane heard her soothe.

So many people, so many ages... how could a child possibly be responsible for treason in the U.S.A.? How could they treat American citizens like traitors? Infants who took their first breath in the confines of a homely shack under imprisonment by the government... people who took their last breath in those same lowly shacks, never to see the day they would be freed from this unjust confinement. But their courage and loyalty was admirable, and it brought the sting of tears to Akane's eyes to know that she was not alone here. At first she thought Ranma had understood her. Understood all of them, but... he was nothing more than a coward - a sniveling government lackey. And Akane had finally come to see that.

* * *

Ranma scrubbed his face viciously with his calloused palms and fingers. He shook his head from side to side, immediately regretting it afterward when his vision continued shaking long after his head had stopped. He groaned, and beside him, one of his buddies slapped him heartily on the back, chuckling mildly. Ranma groaned, " I t'ink I... drank... too much, fellas." He chuckled at nothing in particular.

"I... feel lick'... shit... already." He stuttered, hanging his head in defeat. Ryoga laughed loudly, jumping to his feet, stumbling to the side, and straightening himself up again. He slurred exuberantly, "No such... _thing_, Ranma boy!" The point of this little celebration was to welcome the new foreign female officer - an unheard of occurrence. Unfortunately, Ranma was never very good at holding his liquor - nor was he any good at regulating how much he drank. So now he was up a creak, and he dreaded what he would experience the following morning.

Those worries were quickly swept away, however, with the pleasant buzz that accompanies drinking. The only thing on his intoxicated mind was the cool, fresh, air, and the sweet smell of a certain spunky young female internee. Her pleasant scent filled his nostrils every time he inhaled, and when he closed his weary eyes, her beautiful face was plastered before his mind's eye. He was hallucinating - seeing, tasting, hearing, smelling - nothing but Akane.

At each passing moment, he became more and more antsy, his fingers twitching for her soft, pale, skin. He wanted to hear the natural melody of her voice, and the alcohol was just what he had needed to boost his courage, as well as do away with sanity and complete disregard for the law.

As his officers continued their bellowing sing-alongs and hearty laughter, Ranma stood, stumbling outside, leaving the raving mass of men behind as he followed the nagging feeling in his gut. He headed, slowly but surely toward the rows and rows of shacks, groaning and grumbling as the world around him spun. He chuckled. For a moment, he almost thought he had seen something peculiar. Something ridiculous. He chuckled again, figuring it to be only his intoxicated thoughts playing tricks on him, until he heard whimpering, and the stone-cold voice of the girl he couldn't stop thinking about.

* * *

It was some time around midnight. The moon was out, a crescent slice of shimmer, casting weak rays of silver upon the dormant camp. All of the occupants had long since gone to bed, for it was a known rule-of-thumb around camp that you shouldn't be out past ten. Besides the soldiers, who liked to give their charges a curfew, there were several less-than upstanding citizens that waited around in the shadows for a stray internee to scare, abuse, and even rape.

Not every Japanese-American that was sent to the camps was as innocent as others. After all, they were human too, and every human has a darker side that needs to be satisfied occasionally. These shadow-stalkers were normally young, indifferent, and in some cases, profoundly dangerous. Their was nothing the soldiers could do about them... they could never catch them. But Akane had every confidence in her abilities, and she wasn't easily frightened off by rumors of cowardly slime balls. So she decided to take a quiet stroll.

Part of her was hoping she would come across a villain or two. She was still carrying around a bucket full of frustrations, and she needed to take them out on something before her emotions got the best of her. She had been doing her best not to cry ever since her father's death, for the sake of her sisters. It wouldn't do for her to let the nasty attitude of one boy drive her over the edge.

Akane had been walking for some time now. When she looked up, the housing around her was unfamiliar, and the chilled breeze had begun to pick up. She hugged her slim arms to her, pulling the scruffy edges of her sleeves over her numbed hands, and shivering as goose bumps ran up the length of her stocking-clad legs.

She began walking at a slow, uneven pace, doing her best to identify what part of the camp she was in, but the shadows made everything around her appear so different. She was utterly, and hopelessly lost. Just as a welling feeling of panic bloomed in her chest, she barely caught the chilling sound of laughter. Her breathing stopped for a moment, as her ears strained to listen. Had she only imagined it?

"Lost, babe?" A sardonic whisper behind her. She whirled toward the direction of the voice, only to catch a glint of blurred metal. A man, half covered in shadow, stepped toward her tauntingly, a gun evident in his red and ruddy fingers. He was relatively young, somewhere in his late teens or early twenties. He wore a ratty baseball cap which served to conceal his vicious face behind shadow. She could only make out the whites of his eyes and a smug smile which twitched on his lips.

In a second he was behind her, pressing the stolen gun to the back of her neck. She barely had time to wonder how he had gotten in back of her so swiftly. He gently lifted a strand of her hair just above her ear, whispering soothingly, "I can make your worries go away. Just say the word and..." Akane shivered as his hot breath invaded her ear. He smelt like fish and oil.

"Don't..." She began, surprising herself with her own swiftness as she twisted the arm in which he held the gun, so that it was behind him while she kicked his wavering feet out from under him. They landed roughly on the ground, Akane on top of him with her knee pressed firmly into his spine. "...Fuck with me asshole." She let out her breath in a sigh of relief when she had safely gotten the gun out of his grasp. His hand was twisted behind his back in such an unusual direction that Akane was almost positive it was broken.

He let out a short yelping laugh that was somewhere between pain and amusement. She was thrown by surprise as he lurched his body to the side, sending Akane sprawling. The gun skidded away into the shadows as he climbed on top of Akane, who lay groaning on the floor.

"You're one tough bitch, aren't you? I love that in a woman." He leered as he pinned her arms to the ground. Akane lay still, frightened and unable to move. As he grasped both her wrists with one large hand, she squeezed her eyes closed in a short moment of panicked prayer. His hand wandered to the opening of her jacket. As he began to unzip it with a slow, taunting rhythm, Akane's eye's flew open, she growled menacingly, flailing madly and screaming bloody murder. During all the excitement, one of her legs slipped free of his weight, and she brought it up as hard as she could into her captor's groin. He hissed in pain, collapsing on top of her in discomfort.

Quickly, Akane pushed him off, barely shaking his hand free as he weakly attempted to hold her ankle. She raced into the shadows, groping for the stolen gun. It looked like one of the ones the soldiers used. Ranma always had one, but he had told her he hated using them. She found it immediately, and she slipped to her feet, kicking up pebbles as she broke into a sprint in the opposite direction.

* * *

She had finally reached a familiar part of the camp when she heard a disturbing sound coming from behind a shack. She followed it to find an eerily familiar sight. A shadowy figure hovered over a young girl. A flip-knife glittered in the moonlight, pressed against the back of her delicately throbbing neck, her corse brunette hair slick with sweat. She was crying, whimpering pitifully as her abuser's hands roamed her body. She let out a muffled scream and tried to shake him off, only to receive a sharp slap to the face. The first thought that entered Akane's shaken mind was, how many of these bastards were there?

It was more than just a coincidence... there was a connection somewhere. The girl abruptly stopped whimpering as she caught sight of Akane standing under the dim light of the moon. Her eyes turned wild for a moment... she pleaded, "Please, help me... please." Her attacker turned abruptly, one hand firmly gripping her arm. He spotted Akane in the same shocked position, and tossed the younger girl aside. She hesitated only a moment, giving Akane a gaze half frightened, half apologetic. The next moment she was on her feet, fleeing just as Akane had from her captor an hour ago.

"You couldn't possibly be that girl..." His voice trailed off and he smiled. He nodded to himself, "Your prettier than I thought." Akane remained unmoved while her instincts screamed at her to run. He wore a stocking over his head, where only his swollen lips and maniacal gaze were visible. There was something vaguely familiar about this boy, who was even younger than the man she had faced just a while ago.

"D-don't come near me." She cringed at the way her voice broke. She lifted her trembling hands and her foot slid back into a strained fighting stance. How much could one possibly take? It was miraculous she hadn't completely lost her wits already. It was almost as though... as though God had it in for her. Had she done something wrong? Did she do something to deserve this chain of misfortune? She couldn't answer any of these questions, and the more she thought of it, the more sorry she felt for herself.

"Yes, you are quite the little troublemaker, if the rumors are accurate." He was still speaking to himself, though he addressed Akane and looked directly at her. Or was he looking past her? She really couldn't tell. Without much effort, he was before her with his hand encircling Akane's wrist before she could utter a properly vulgar profanity. She gasped out in surprise at his speed, something that seemed to be a common trait amongst these villains. Unlike her previous captor, this man was eager to begin his dirty work. He shoved her against the wall of a molding shack, pinning her there by one rough and ruddy hand, and brought his face to hover just before hers. 

Akane threw her weight back and forth, but the air in her lungs was limited - struggling only made her breathe harder. The man's eyes gleamed with viscousness as he clenched her wrists above her head. His hand was so large it could easily pin her two slim arms against each other. She wanted to scream - even went so far as to part her lips in anticipation - but the sliver of pleasure that shone in his dark eyes stifled her immediately. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction. As her eyes clenched in terror, her thoughts reached one instinctive conclusion.

"Ranma!" She called into the otherwise deserted darkness. It donned on her that, despite her former high opinion and pride in being independent, there was one person that she could not live without. One person whom she held complete faith in, one man whom she called out to in her most hopeless and helpless times. But he was elsewhere, on the opposite side of camp, most likely not even thinking about the rat of a girl whom he had saved continuously in the past. The jerk didn't understand how much his kindness had meant to her in her depression.

But this train of thought dispersed into a feeling of utter hopelessness as another shadow made itself known. A dark frame lingering in the shadows. Her thoughts strayed to the man she had encountered earlier. If it was indeed him, Akane would have to subject to whatever it was they had in store for her. She couldn't compete with two of them.

Her captor picked her up before slamming her head back against the wall once more. "Pay attention, bitch!" Akane abruptly brought her gaze to his own darkened one. Her head throbbed in protest, but there was nothing she could do to free herself now. Feeling completely helpless, she could do nothing save spat in his face contemptuously. So she did just that, only to receive a sharp slap across her already abused face.

At the exact moment his hand made contact with Akane's face, the man dwelling in the shadows had come up behind the rapist's back, grabbing her captor's collar and simultaneously shoving the villain's disguised face into the knee of his brown pants. The masked man fell to the floor, grabbing at his face as her savior sent another kick into the coward's side. The man rolled several feet before cursing and racing into the shadows, a stream of maniacal laughter echoing all around the pair as Akane gasped for air.

"I thought you could take care of yourself." Came the slurred remark from the man who had just saved her virginity, and possibly her life. Akane's hand dropped from her throat and her gaze shot up toward the face of the man. There before her stood Ranma in all of his drunken glory. He was a mess - a confusion of violent fury, fear, relief, worry, and a glazed distant emotion which Akane could not easily read. For a long time they stood there. Neither moving, Ranma watching her with that mysterious glazed concentration as Akane struggled to keep her self from an emotional breakdown. Her knees shook with anxiety and tear tracks covered her dusty cheeks. Her eyes were red and her blouse was partially unbuttoned. The edge of her skirt was dipped in mud and sporting several tears.

"I-" Akane began as Ranma lifted his gaze to her. She swallowed hard, the knot in her throat causing fresh tears to burn hot in her eyes.

"I was so close to giving up... I felt like... like... there was no reason for me to struggle anymore ." Ranma's face screwed into an expression of anguish, or... Akane didn't know. His eyebrows knitted, his eyes turned to brilliant blue slits as they became glassy, and his lips parted ever-so-slightly. It only served to make Akane sob harder. She wavered on her feet, her strength draining out of her as her legs shook uselessly underneath her. She felt her legs give under her increasing weight. She could no longer hold herself up as she began to sink to the floor, her legs placed precariously about her, knees outward. Her eyes leaked tears and she watched the ground where her fingertips twitched.

Ranma was quiet as he made his way toward her. Wordlessly, hardly breathing, He crouched down beside her and placed one hand behind the back of her neck. She felt a shiver run down her spine at the warmth of his calloused hand. So much different from that other man. His hands weren't warm like Ranma's. Ranma's hands were... soft. Easy. Warm.

She swallowed her sobs, her head bending obediently to rest against his chest. Her breathing slowed until it was in tune with the steady beating of his heart. She brought her trembling hands up to clench the fabric of his shirt, and Ranma placed his other hand gently against her back, trailing his fingers up and down along her spine in a calming, hypnotic motion. Akane sat motionless, her body curving to press up against his warmth, inhaling deeply his sweet aroma of sweat and man, slightly altered by alcohol.

Here they sat for a moment, maybe minutes, maybe hours. After quite a long time, Ranma pulled away, reluctant to leave her delicate embrace, but more reluctant still to remain. He wanted nothing more than to be there with her constantly. He couldn't quite explain it... he just wanted to make sure he would always be there to protect her, hold her... just be there with her. It was enough to just look at her, listen to the soft whisper of her breathing, match his own breathing with the rhythm of her heartbeat. But these ... feelings just weren't possible. This was a war... not highschool. He threw that stage of his life away when he agreed to join his father.

"Ranma, you -" But she stopped, seeing the regret written on his features. This wasn't right. They both knew that whatever it was they were feeling wasn't supposed to be. But it just felt so... _right_. Akane stepped back against the wall she had been trapped against moments before. Her eyes clouded momentarily, until she lifted her gaze to his. Once again... there was a passion there in the depths of his beautiful blue eyes that she could not decipher. They held this unspeakable gaze for several moments until Ranma, yet again, took Akane by complete surprise. His expression clouded, he strode up to Akane forcefully, slamming one strong fist against the already abused shack behind her, and bent his head to hover just before hers. She looked into his eyes, noticing instantly their breathtaking ocean hue. Or... maybe not. Not the ocean, not the sky. The color of the rain clouds just before a storm. The shade clean cement turns once its been doused with a hose.

"Akane." He exhaled, and she shivered as his hot breath caressed her lips. Her eyes fluttered closed as he leaned into her... she felt a delicate kiss upon her forehead. As she opened her eyes in surprise, She discovered a jacket flung about her shoulders, and the stiff form of Ranma's back as he willed himself back to the soldier's quarters.


	9. The Best Steel

**A/N:** Ah! It's Been so long, hasn't it? Here's chapter nine at last! I decided to spice up the storyline a little bit. I just want you to know that the only reason it takes me so long to update is the fact that I have NO IDEA what's going to happen next. That's the naked truth for you. This story is as much a surprise to you as it is to me. I had the first couple of chapters planned, but… it all went downhill from there. ;) Anywhoo, Enjoy!

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Ranma ½, nor do I own the quote below. (Insert witty remark here).

**Chapter 9: The Best Steel**

_"Life asks more of us: demands it. It is not enough to be talented Steerforth, or beautiful Dora, or even simply loving: yes Mother, or even simply loving. We must be strong or else the gifts that God sends us into the world with will just fade and wither in the first cold wind that blows on us... the best steel... must go through the fire."_

- From Charles Dickens' "_David Copperfield"_

Her Forehead burned with the scorching sensation of being touched by Ranma. Her legs lay uselessly sore and bruised beneath her as she picked delicately at the knot of thread where a button had once resided on her newly destroyed blouse. Akane's exhaustion was so bone deep and utterly persistent that she hadn't even the heart to cry.

Since the previous night, she had spent hours trying to sort through her muddled emotions. She couldn't decide whether she was on the verge of a mental breakdown once more, or trembling on the verge of finding happiness. It was a difficult thing to explain… After everything Akane had been through – having both of her parents die in her arms, being taken away from her home, abused, nearly raped… the list was endless… it was astounding she could go on living. But… somehow… it didn't hurt so much. Not when Ranma was there. Not when she could feel his gentle gaze caress her grieving body, or when he sat beside her every morning to watch the sun rise… His presence alone was like an aura of security and relief engulfing her, making her stronger, giving her something to live for. That strange feeling of warmth that settled in her gut every time he spoke her name insured her that she still had enough room in her wounded heart to feel… to love.

And it was at this thought that Akane's swollen eyes finally shed tears. Though she had little left to live for, there was still Nabiki - there was still kasumi… and somehow she knew she would always have Ranma. These people whom she cared for so dearly – they were the reason she summoned her cowed strength back to her. They were the reason she would continue waking up in the morning, continue smiling.

So when Akane finally caught the distant sound of footsteps approaching her rickety bed, she quickly dried her eyes on the jacket Ranma had lent her. She inhaled his distinctive scent, smiling brilliantly as the aroma of soap and man invaded her nostrils.

"Akane? It's nearly ten o'clock. Kasumi and I thought we'd let you sleep in a bit." Akane turned over in her bed so that she was staring up at the rusting tin roof of their ugly little shack. She smiled again, this time for her elder sister's benefit.

"Thanks. I'll get dressed." She said as she slipped out from beneath the blankets. The young enthusiast began to hum a cheery tune that her mother once sang in the kitchen. Her heart was swelling with joy.

Nabiki's gazed darkened slightly, her eyes taking on a sly, calculating gleam. Akane stopped in the midst of undressing from last night's torn outfit. She smiled beguilingly, winking unceremoniously at the quick Tendo.

"Why, Nabiki! I haven't seen that look in your eyes since that young man… Billy? Since Billy asked you on that date months ago. How many smoothies and hamburgers did you get out of that poor boy?" Nabiki didn't so much as quirk a smile. "Three. And a new dress and shoes to boot." Nabiki mulled over a specific idea, before asking bluntly, "Where were you last night, Akane?" Akane froze for a moment, her eyes widening slightly in panic. Luckily, she was turned away from her sister, and she reached for her belt under the pretense of unbuckling it as she paused to gain composure.

"Just… taking a walk, is all. Why do you ask?" She looked up innocently, the corner of her mouth twisting upward, like she had seen Ranma's do so many times. Nabiki paused to take in her reaction. Strange. Was it just her, or was little Akane holding information from her dear sister? She smiled back, reaching a hand to the hem of Akane's skirt. She pulled it up as the young girl protested indignantly, "H-hey!"

"So… these bruises… and your torn hem are… from when you ran into wild wolves down by the soldier's quarters?" She guessed easily, flicking the skirt back toward her sister's shapely legs. She glanced at the girl's awe-struck face, which was now glowing pink and her eyes were downcast.

"Well… I was walking and – you know how old and ragged these buildings are – I got caught on a board. I ended up hurting myself pretty badly." Akane mumbled pitiably, her face glowing a warm red and her voice quivering.

"You never were an admirable liar, Akane." Nabiki stated bluntly her dark eyes boring into her younger sister with renewed curiosity. "Spill." She grunted as she dropped into a squat where she stood. Akane fell back onto her bed hesitantly, wincing as the springs groaned. She lifted a delicate white hand to her hairline, and allowed it to flutter nervously by her forehead before it dropped once more onto her lap.

"Nabiki." She began, priding herself in the renewed strength in her voice. Like iron. _Steel_.

"I was out late… I really did go for a walk… and I ran into some trouble." She paused for a moment while Nabiki nodded to her in silent encouragement. "Continue." She prodded.

"There was a man – a young man no older than you or me – and he…" She sucked in a breath, only now remembering the fear that had coursed through her veins, the pure terror that had spawned in her a strange kind of courage. It felt as if her blood had turned to ice, her fear strangely suppressing any emotions or reasonable thought that might occur to her in such a situation.

"…Attacked me. I managed to get away- I threw his gun away into the shadows… I don't know where it went." Nabiki remained eerily silent, opting for listening – sucking in Akane's every expression. She would know if her sister was lying. Wouldn't she? Could it be Akane was… Raped? _Would _she know? _Would she_? She just didn't know anymore. And that's what frightened her most – She no longer knew her sister.

"After that I ran. I'm not sure where I ran to – I was so lost – but I came across another fight. Some man was attacking a girl… I didn't recognize her."

"Christ." Nabiki whispered, her breath coming out in a subtle '_whoosh_'. Did her sister have the _worst_ luck in the world? Maybe it was hereditary.

"Yeah. I, uh, couldn't leave her so… I interrupted. The girl ran. He said something strange. He said he'd 'heard of me'… Something about me being 'prettier than he had thought'… or something. Nabiki, I- I was scared. I realized... they know who I am, but… I don't know who _they_ are." Akane's breath quickened slightly, a sheen layer of sweat glistened on her forehead in the mid-morning light. Her eyes were wild, flickering over everything in the room in a fir of paranoia until finally resting on Nabiki herself.

"Hey, Akane… Don't – don't worry. We'll figure it out. I'll hunt those bastards down myself if I have to. But tell me… what happened when you were with this guy?" Just like that, everything about her changed. Akane stopped her frantic breathing, her face became even more pale. Her eyes shifted to the floor, remaining there. Nabiki could feel her own heartbeat stop as she awaited an answer.

"Nothing Happened. I got away, and found my way back here." Akane smiled weakly at her sister, hoping her lie wasn't too obvious. She stood up, pulling an old pair of sweats over her bruised and battered legs, hiding the cuts that snaked up her arms under an old long-sleeved cotton t-shirt the color of ash. It was one of the only outfits she had left that had not been torn or otherwise ruined. With that said, and herself fully clothed, the awkward girl strode out the door, whipping a hand through her short blue-ish tresses.

It was all Nabiki could do not to cry out in frustration. She had said it once before. Akane couldn't lie for shit. She was hiding something from her, and Nabiki feared for the worst.

* * *

Ranma sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time. Somehow, he had managed to provoke the god of hangovers into bestowing upon himself a very insistent, very miserable, headache. Not to mention he'd ruin another good pair of pants doing God knows what. He still had to stop by the post-gate, where they held all mail being sent in until it could be fully checked for possible dangers or contraband. He had to scan the letter for news about the new officer being sent in. She was supposed to have arrived this morning. 

And through all of this, he still couldn't get the damn image of Akane out of his mind! She was there every time he closed his eyes. He could see her petite, delicate body being suspended in air as that cretin who had attacked her held her by the throat. He remembered his burning rage when the man had reached for her blouse, and the look of utter defeat and hopelessness that had shone in her eyes, the fear in her voice when she called his name.

Then he would see her again, this time overcome by tears, the almost distant look of happiness that now possessed her gaze as she clutched the fabric of his shirt in her tiny, trembling hands. Akane. Even her name made him weak for her company. But… It wasn't allowed. He'd be put to jail, shamed, labeled as a spineless traitor and disowned by his father.

If anything, he should be focusing on his responsibilities, ignoring her. But… she was his responsibility. He was the only one that would ever be able to save her, to hold her… Ranma shook his head vigorously, growling as he slammed his fist into the newly built walls of the soldier's quarters. The soft wood splintered beneath his knuckles, and he gritted his teeth as he quickly pulled out several wooden shards from his hand. He should get going.

* * *

She saw him again. He walked right past her, heading toward the post gate. She sat quietly in the shadows, admiring his glistening black coif, his tanned, sculpted body… everything about him was perfect. Too bad she had to keep her distance. 

The poor fool. He had no idea what was going on … behind his back. As he turned a corner toward the post-gate, she stood quietly, following him at a safe, easy distance.

She had to admit… it was rather disappointing. Genma had told her to be careful. He knew what he was doing. Ranma was strong, well-trained, quick, etc., etc., but she had yet to see any such training. He didn't even _notice _her for crying-out-loud. If he was such a brilliant martial artist… why didn't he know she was tailing him? Idiot. But… he _was_ kind of cute. Following him around from behind all day wasn't so bad. At least she had a good view.

* * *

"Hey Kasumi… how's the laundry going?" Nabiki drawled, taking a seat on the front steps of their cozy little hole-in-the-ground. The said Tendo daughter glanced behind her and smiled quietly, her arms raised above her head in the midst of pinning an apron to the line. Her smile faltered, instantly forming a slight frown, marring her otherwise pretty features. 

"What's the matter Nabiki? Is everything alright?" Nabiki quirked a smile, eyeing her elder sister appreciatively, and laughed, "Am I that transparent? I must be losing my gift." At that, Kasumi left her laundry tangled damply in the basket by her feet. She made her way over to the stairs, gracing Nabiki with her mild and comforting presence.

"Kasumi, I think something happened to Akane." Kasumi's frown deepened, her eyebrows knitting together with worry. She shook her head; evidently clearing whatever had been going through her mind. "What do you mean?"

Nabiki shifted uncomfortably under her sister's intense gaze, for once dropping her guard enough to show worry for her young sister. She couldn't be _sure._ Not exactly. How did she know that that's what Akane was hiding? Maybe she hadn't… you know. _Maybe_ she had accidentally… killed the guy or something. Maybe she had cut off his dick and fed it to the coyotes. No. That was just wishful thinking. But still…

"I'm not sure, but… I think Akane may have been raped." She stated in her blunt manner. She cringed at the stricken look on her elder sister's face. What if she had been wrong? Maybe she shouldn't have told Kasumi… not until she was sure. It was so unlike Nabiki to go to others with her information and worries, but… things had changed between the three Tendo sisters. They were all each other had. So here she was, laying it all out on the table. She only hoped Kasumi's gentle nature could handle it.

* * *

"…I think Akane may have been raped." Ranma stopped dead in his speedy gait. _What_? Raped? _His_ Akane? Ranma's cheeks glowed at the unconscious protectiveness his mental comment had implied. But… that had been Nabiki talking. He was sure of it. 

"What the hell?" He muttered to himself vaguely. It couldn't be. He had saved her… hadn't he? Had he been to late? His uneasiness turned slowly to horror, which again turned to guilt. He was a mess of emotions until finally, he settled on anger. Jealousy. How could she let someone do that to her? How could she let someone touch her like that? She was so strong… she could have prevented it. But she didn't. And… why was he so angry anyway?

So many questions spun through his head, he leaned against the wooden boards of Akane's shack, putting a hand to his already throbbing head in agony. One thing was certain. He would kill the asshole that dared to touch her.

But right now… he had to ditch whoever it was that was tailing him.


	10. Enemy to Faith

A/N: Hello, hello! It's nearly one in the morning… I'm very tired. I've had this chapter waiting to be finished for more than three… three? Months now. Geez, it's been awhile. I'm starting to get rather distracted by all of this drama… but I hope in, say, four years to be done with this wretched thing. Just kidding. It will be more like the rest of my life. Oh well, enjoy. P.S. – standard whatever disclaimer applies… or… yeah. 

P.S.S – Pray for me as I take my finals from the dreaded H Bio Lab teacher next week. I wanted to get this chapter out before I killed any more brain cells. Gee, finals are great. 

**Chapter Ten : Enemy to Faith**

"_Oh, the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person; having neither to weigh thoughts nor to measure words but to pour them all out, just as it is, chaff and grain together, knowing that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keeping what is worth keeping, and then, with the breath of kindness, blow the rest away_."

- George Elliot

The room was dark; a putrid stench circulated amidst the musty air – a familiar odor of the rotting of flesh. The black mass of shadow inhabiting the space of death stalked about the room with the insane animalistic nature of a rabid dog. Behind him he dragged a carcass, another inky mass that twitched and shook with violent spasms as his back inflamed with splinters.

"I – I underst-stand now… please… it hurts…" a wretched voice murmured from amidst the pungent room. The corpse of a man in the animal's fists shivered in raw fear. Thick blood dripped painstakingly slowly down into his watery eyes so that they burned and stung unmercifully. His tortured gaze met those of the hysterical man's above him, glimmering with insanity and lust. He quickly dropped his head, unable to stare such evil fully in the eye. This man was Lucifer's reincarnate himself, sent unto Earth to wreak havoc and destroy man's happiness and faith.

"You… if you _ever _disobey me again… there will _be_ no tongue for you to whine with." And the vicious man flung his captive to the corner of the inky room, in which the overbearing stench emanated from. The abused man set his hand to the floor, leaning heavily as he breathed in and out weakly. His hand touched a cold form lying beside him…. stiff and fetid as it decayed under a musty torn sheet. Its dull eyes watched him as a fish's might– devoid of intelligence… of life. Dry and shriveled in they're bluish sockets.

"Oh my… God." And he began to pray. Quickly, desperately, nonsensically, until his voice cracked from fear and overuse. The door to the hellish room opened to reveal the stinging rays of the sun. He shuddered, throwing his hands up to shield his face, until once more the door slammed shut; leaving him alone… his prayers had momentarily been answered. Heaving several great, ragged breaths, he stood to attend to his wounds.

* * *

Damn that sneaky bastard. She was beginning to understand what Genma had meant when he told her to keep on her toes. Moments after her silent ridicule of Ranma's martial art senses (or lack thereof), she had been utterly panicked when she looked back toward where the young man had been brooding on a wooden doorstep moments before, only… he wasn't there any more. She could still smell the musky male scent of him as she crept silently around the previously occupied doorstep, Looking behind walls and into windows, until a flash of movement caught her attention from above. Her quarry was roof hopping along the rows of shacks, so far away now that all she could see was a blur of lightning-fast color. She cursed roughly, kicking the wall beside her and shaking her head as she began in the opposite direction toward the only building in the whole damn place that had a telephone. She had an important call to make.

* * *

"Ranma! I've been looking everywhere for you." Akane chirped as Ranma hopped onto the dirt floor several feet away. She glanced from him to the roof he had recently leapt from, and back, quirking a mischievous smirk in his direction. "Lady troubles, hm?" Ranma snorted rudely, giving her a lazy hand gesture to signify his lack of interest in her jibes. 

"Well, okay." She huffed, crossing her arms sternly and striding over to him. He avoided her gaze intently; turning his head this way and that as she physically blocked his view of the dirt floor with her curiously attractive features. "Ranma, is something wrong?" Her innocent query turned the poor soldier's stomach over. How could she still act like nothing's changed? Nothing's happened? How could she stand to be so close to him? He shoved her away slightly by the shoulder, his first act of violence toward a woman… ever.

"Just leave me alone Akane." He sighed, his head snapping to the side in order to avoid her eyes. But he caught a glimpse of the look of confused hurt throbbing in her prettily innocent eyes. Innocent… eyes that had seen so many terrible things and yet… remained unfathomably pure. He watched out of the corner of his eye as she drew her arms about herself again, clutching at her bare arms and shivering as if some great evil had blown out the light and heat of the sun. It struck him suddenly that this was a woman he couldn't bare to see broken. Her grief over her father's death had nearly dragged her over the edge… and that thought brought a great rigidness to Ranma's shoulders.

"Look, Akane… I - " But his apology was interrupted by a frantic voice calling out to them from behind.

"Officer Saotome, Sir!" a man gasped from behind their small party. His voice was strong, ominous. " Please excuse me officer… I was sent by one of your soldier's to tell you that they have just received word of General Saotome's immediate departure from headquarters. He will be arriving here in no less than a day, Sir."

Wonderful. Ranma withheld a scathing string of curses as he clenched his fists so that the knuckles bulged white. From behind him, he felt the gentle prod of a tender warm hand… Akane's hand. His fingers loosened subtly at her touch. She looked out from behind his wide shoulders to get a good look at the messenger. He was tall, formidable, but gentle in stature. He turned his hard-edged face toward them at the nagging sensation of being observed, and the small woman behind him drew in a sharp intake of breath. Ranma spared a glance toward her face. He could see utter confusion there… and a vague sense of fear. Turning back toward the man, he met his piercing black gaze, also catching a wild gleam in his eyes as he returned Akane's startled glare.

"And…what's your name?" Ranma demanded slowly, taking care to watch the man's every response, every action. He responded, " My name's Ben. And you are…?" He added to Akane in an utterly harmless and kind manner. Akane stuttered for a moment, "I - I - "

"Ben, hm? That's odd… were you born in the United States?" Ranma asked, interrupting the dumbstruck girl beside him now. The other man nodded shortly, stealing odd looks toward Akane every few seconds. Ranma continued watching him impatiently, until the man seemed to realize his repeated mistake. He immediately straightened, giving them both a short nod before smiling and setting off in the direction he came. Ranma could now feel the tremors sliding through Akane's petite body. He turned toward her, resting a largely calloused hand upon her cold skin.

"Akane?" He asked searching her eyes for some idea as to what she was so afraid of. She looked up into his eyes, searching intently for what, he did not know. Finally, she asked shyly, "Ranma… are you mad at me?" This startled him. He hadn't expected it at all, and he immediately snatched his hand away as if burned by the touch of her skin. But seconds later, he shook his head, keeping his eyes upon the scuffed surface of his shoes.

He looked up to meet her gaze, gasping shortly at the brilliantly soft and genuine smile gracing her beautiful face. These were the moments he lived for… the moments when that spectacular smile of hers bloomed, just a simple turning up of her delicate pink lips. It was enough to make him believe he wasn't the head officer in charge of an entire camp-full of innocent women, children, and men being punished for crimes they didn't commit. It was enough to make him forget the war all together, and it was enough to give him just a moment of genuine bliss. Amazing what that smile of hers could do. "Akane." He stunned himself into saying. He was suddenly aware of a growing urgency rushing through his veins.

* * *

Her smile faded at the hard note of seriousness in Ranma's voice. She remained quiet, taking in his rigid stance, his shallow breaths… the way his blue eyes clouded over in a moment, like the onset of a dangerous storm on the sea. She held her breath even still, as he grasped her shoulders until she was tempted to cry out. Her back was pressed almost painfully into a wooden rail just behind her. It suddenly occurred to her that Ranma was the kind of man Akane had always feared. The kind of man that could control her, damage her, hurt her… the kind of man that was so incredibly strong, Akane was as good as crippled in his grip. 

"Akane. Tell me…" He drew in a deep, suddenly desperate breath, "Did he touch you?" Akane's heart began beating faster beneath her breast, she could feel his hot breath against her cheek, could see the level of desperation in his heated gaze. This man had the predictability of a wild stag. That very fact was what frightened Akane more than his damaging grip. His voice lowered to a rough whisper as he leaned in closer to her, searching her eyes just as she searched his.

"What – what are you talking about Ranma? What's gotten into you?" Akane asked, her own voice no more than a startled whisper. "Who's touched anyone? What is it that's got you so riled up?"

"Did that man - last night, that man – did he touch you before I got there? Was I… too late?" His voice was harsh, and his eyes bore down upon her. Akane shook her head slowly, wonderingly, as she answered, "No, of course not." But she understood now. Or at least… she believed she did. His grip loosened slightly, but his eyes were no less desperate, his countenance no less reassured.

Akane slowly regained her composure, and with it, confused outrage. "What on Earth possessed you to ask me _that_?" She voiced angrily as she shoved him off of her. This was strange, even for Ranma.

The sudden jolt to reality supplied Ranma with a comforting feeling of relief, and a strange sense of guilt. He had frightened her. The fact that he had given her the opportunity to doubt him, even for that short moment, upset him. He added sheepishly into the silence, "Sorry 'bout that." He hung his head in subdued manner and didn't look up, even as he sensed her movement form before him. She patted him lightly on the back, sending him the unspoken message that, no, she wasn't afraid of him. He still had her friendship.

"Now come on! I want to show you something." She laughed, tugging his hand into hers as she began jogging toward the schoolyard where some of the refugees taught the younger children.

* * *

"Mameha- san! Er… I mean, 'Sensei'." Akane called cheerfully, noticing the crowd of young children gathered about her dear friend on the dusty floor of the schoolhouse. "I brought a friend of mind to come see all that you've been doing to help out here. I thought he might appreciate it." She added in a sly whisper, dragging Ranma before her. 

She had earlier asked him to change into less identifiable clothing, in order try to pass off as another refugee. She quickly resorted to groveling at his solid decline, practically forcing tears to her eyes until he reluctantly agreed. "Stupid tomboy, always goes for my weaknesses…" He grumbled, pulling his ragged t-shirt and pants on as Akane loitered outside. Then she had immediately dragged him here.

"Well, it's very nice to meet you Mister…?" Ranma interjected, "Ranma's fine, Ma'am." She smiled a warm, almost maternal smile. "Ranma, then." She bowed slightly before turning to give Akane's shoulder a loving squeeze. "And how are you, dear? The students being respectful?" Akane beamed, nodding emphatically.

"Oh yes, they're all so wonderful. I noticed a few who are really taking to my classes." Ranma gave her a puzzled look, not understanding the conversation held between the two. Akane's smile grew broader, and Mameha's kind eyes crinkled as she sent another motherly smile toward the younger girl. Ranma quirked an eyebrow, looking between the two. "What classes?" he asked.

"Oh, Akane never told you? Hm, yes, she's a very modest young girl." Akane blushed under the light praise, sticking her tongue at Ranma as he gave her a disbelieving stare. "I teach a beginning martial arts class, Ranma. And singing." She added shyly, watching Ranma for a reaction. His eyes bulged for a moment, his disbelief straining his expression.

"You're teaching… martial arts?" He croaked. She nodded slowly, "Yes… only for beginners, though. All the children are very young." He groaned at her response, his face dropping into his large hand. He gave a muffled response that sounded something like, "Why do you insist on making life difficult for me?" Akane's expression turned puzzled and hurt.

"I'm only trying to give them something to do Ranma. What's wrong with that?" Ranma lifted his face from his hand, his eyebrows furrowed.

"What's wrong with that? Teaching captives how to fight… _in captivity_? Doesn't that sound a bit negative to you? What is my Pop gonna think!" He exclaimed, his arms flailing with reckless abandon. Akane grit her teeth.

"Oh, so I'm supposed to be blamed for some tyrannous pig jumping to unwarranted conclusions? I was just giving them some way to remember their heritage. Something you've obviously forsaken!" Akane barked back, unaware of the crowd of curious onlookers about the classroom.

"Don't you give _me_ that bullshit, Akane! I haven't forsaken anything. You're just more trouble than you're worth!" A collective gasp echoed around the room at the uttered profanity, and the two supposed 'adults' became suddenly aware of their audience. Akane grasped his arm roughly and dragged him out into the dirt road.

"You jerk! Those are children you just cussed in front of! You are so inconsiderate." Ranma yanked his arm out of her grasp, yelling as he did so, "You're one to talk, Tomboy! At least I didn't insult you're crazy father in front of the whole residency!" Akane fumed.

"My father was not crazy, you mean bastard. And how _dare_ you call this hellhole a residency when we're being held here against our will? Or have you forgotten that I'm just another one of your stupid prisoners?" Akane screamed, leaned forward until she was inches from his shocked face. His surprise quickly darkened into defensiveness.

"Hey, I haven't forgotten that _you _were the one who dragged _me _here. I have other duties that are more important than appeasing you and your lousy whims!" akane drew back suddenly, her hurt pouring from her eyes in wet, angry tears.

"Than I suppose you also don't want to know about the celebration we're holding for Nabiki's birthday tomorrow. I thought you might want to make an exception from work, but since I'm 'more trouble than I'm worth', I guess I was wrong!" Akane's voice tightened as she yelled the last few words at him, before rushing off down the darkening road. Ranma was stranded there for several moments, considering everything that had just gone on. It had gotten way out of control, and his foot had somehow managed to creep it's way down his throat in a terrible wave of idiocy. Shaking his head, yet still fuming, he made his way back into the building to apologize to the teacher and her class.

He was a gentleman, after all.

* * *

"And remember, my children, to remain loyal to your home. America is a wonderful place." Ranma heard the last bit of Mameha's lecture to her students as he neared the slightly opened door. A smaller, younger voice asked defiantly, "Then why are we here Sensei? Why should we be loyal to America if America is not loyal to us?" Mameha chuckled as a slow murmur of assent filled the tiny classroom. She responded without missing a beat, "All wonderful things take time to create. America is no different. We are simply caught in a transitioning period, when it is still trying to adapt, to improve. Eventually it will be done, and the result will be all the more impressive. Our only job now is to support America and love it, and before you know it, they will do the same." 

She smiled broadly as the door slid open, and Ranma stepped into the class. He gave her a solid, trusting nod as he bowed low to the ground. "I apologize for my earlier comments. It is obvious to me now that I have nothing to worry about from this school of yours. America is lucky to have one so faithful as you a part of it."

* * *

After the children had made their way out of the schoolyard and down the track, Ranma remained behind with Mameha-san. She rested a comfortable hand on his shoulder, adding mysteriously before she swept off down the road, "The only enemy to faith is insecurity in your own decisions. If you trust in your reactions, it's easy to trust in others. I hope I see you tomorrow evening with Akane-chan. She worked so hard to make it a special night for her sister."

* * *

There she was. Her dazzling beauty… her delectable aura of innocence. Everything about her screamed virginal purity. She was just what he had been looking for. Step, step, step. There was a pause in her hurried gait. She glanced around skittishly, her eyes resting on the shadowy corner in which he stood watching. She searched the darkness, combing the layers until her unsure gaze was returned to the path before her. Clever girl. She could sense him. Some people just found his evil aura far too imposing. It almost gave him away in many situations. 

As she hurried away, his mind streamed with visions of her. He could hear her voice, feel her cold skin, smell her sweet youth… he imagined his calloused hands running through her short, silken locks. It was all he could do to keep from reaching out to grab her fragile wrist as she rushed by. But he would wait. She was worth waiting for.


	11. Reason of Insanity

**A/N: **A long, long time ago, I can still remember when I had a life. School's up again, and whoever said sophomore year was the hardest obviously never became a junior. I'd say the only thing harder than college is college in high school. Stupid AP… stupid chemistry. Anyways, I think it's time I left the pity party. This chapter is _very_ long, at least for me. I kind of made it up as I went, which made it hard to tie in the things I had actually planned. So yeah, here it is… enjoy. And ask me if there are parts that are confusing… because I know they're there. 

**Disclaimer**: Standardly standard disclaimer of the standard standards apply here... Standard.

**Chapter eleven : Reason of Insanity**

" _I don't think I can give you an answer. Oh, I could give you Freudian reasons with fancy talk, and would be alright… but what you want are the reasons for the reasons, and I'm not able to give you those. Not for the others anyway. For myself? Guilt. Shame. Fear. Self-belittlement…"_

- Harding in Ken Kesey's _One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest_

"Nabiki! Nabiki, where are you going?" the sly young woman turned on her younger sister and whispered conspiratorially, "I know a coupla' handsome soldiers who're willing to spare a glass or two of whatever alcoholic shit they keep around here. They were just so taken with my womanly charms that they couldn't resist me." She added laughing sadistically and winked at Akane. Akane shook her head, sighing.

"But it's getting late and everyone will be gathering in another hour or two. You'll never make it back on time." She pleaded, her eyes frantic on account of the upcoming party that she had yet to finish planning. Her cool elder sister shrugged a dainty shoulder and waved a hand reassuringly. She added, "No worries, dear sister. I'll be back in time. I never miss an opportunity to celebrate." Akane sighed dramatically as Nabiki swaggered out of sight. Her self-pity lasted for a slim few seconds before she rushed off crying "There's so much to _do_."

* * *

Now was as good a time as any. She began her careful feminine saunter toward the handsome man with a cute little black pigtail. Tonight she would introduce herself. Tonight she would wrap Ranma in such a cocoon of sweet charm that he would be blind to everything and everyone else.

Almost there, and… she stopped cold. Light clouds of dust floated between and about her still feet. What the _hell_ was _he_ doing here?

* * *

"Ranma, why the long face? I thought you had to get ready for General Saotome's arrival… that is tomorrow, right?" Ranma turned to his ever-faithful companion Ryoga Hibiki. He gave such a nasty glare in the boy's direction that any normal man would have keeled over in his steel-toed boots. Ryoga, however, grinned slyly at his bitter friend. He nudged Ranma's shoulder, "Lady troubles?" In response Ranma brought a heavy fist onto Ryoga's head as he mumbled darkly, "I've been getting that a lot lately."

"So who's the lucky girl, eh? Is she going to the big birthday bash this evening?" Ranma stiffened as a vein throbbed in his neck. He growled, "I don't want to talk about it. Get back on duty, will ya?" He shoved at the nosy man's chest to emphasize his point.

Ryoga laughed grandly, giving the flustered officer a mock salute and swaggered off in completely the wrong direction, calling over his shoulder as he went, "See you at the party, my Casanova friend." Ranma stood fuming at the soldier's good humor and his own apparent transparency. In a sudden jolt of movement he was heading off toward his quarters to grab some sweats and train for the next few hours. There was no way in Hell he would go to that party. Not for Akane …

* * *

"Akane, dear! It's time to clean up. I warmed the bath for you." Kasumi called into the tiny shack where the youngest Tendo sat frantically searching for something suitable to wear. Any clothes she had managed to bring had been ripped, spotted, or otherwise accosted by her reckless way of living. Nabiki would look absolutely fantastic in the cute little blouse and skirt Kasumi had sewed for her earlier, and Kasumi herself was always the picture of cleanliness and beauty, but Akane was buried up to her neck in ragged clothing and dirtiness.

With a frustrated and hopeless sigh, Akane threw her last blouse with the buttons torn off toward the dirt floor. She strode to the door and flung the it open, only to see a startled Kasumi straighten from where she was folding dry laundry. She took several deep breaths and made a forced effort to calm herself, before continuing on to the partly covered bathing area behind their temporary home.

What was she so worked up about anyway? It wasn't like she had someone to dress up _for_, now did she? Unfortunately, this train of thought only succeeded in causing the young girl more anger and frustration, until she was just about ready to cry in hopeless and unexplainable anger.

What she did know was… she really didn't know anything.

* * *

As he made one last desperate attempt to determine his coordinates, the young soldier threw his arms in the air and gave a choked cry of frustration. Where the hell was he _now_? He spun sharply on his foot and began walking purposefully in another random direction. He was just about to give up and spend the next few hours beating his hardened skull against a rickety old shack until he heard the sweet melody of a young woman humming to herself.

He stilled to listen for a blissful moment. With renewed gusto, he headed toward the voice with the strange impression that this beautiful sound could only be from an angel, and that this handsome figure of goddess was there to save him from his lousy sense of direction. Or from the fact that he _had_ no sense of direction.

"Please, could you -" He burst through the curtains, pleading with the envisioned angel from his dreams… until he realized in shocked embarrassment that his angel was not only one of great beauty, but that her beauty was displayed in all of its glorified nakedness as she soaked in a large bucket-like tub. Her humming stuck in her throat and an ominous tension hung about the air as he realized that she might actually kill him. She was sending him a puzzled but deadly glare from her spot in the water that she even managed to pull off as she rushed to cover herself fully.

But to this, Ryoga was only partly aware. Just as he was vaguely aware of the blood rushing to his cheeks and gushing forth from his nose. All of this and more, he was aware of, until finally, everything went dark.

"Kasumi! A pervert!" The poor startled Akane shrieked just as the intruder keeled over backward, the blood dripping onto his uniform. Kasumi popped her head through the curtain with a small towel in hand, giving Ryoga a bewildered once over and uttering a calm "oh, my". She helped her shaken (but angry) sister from the tub and ushered her into the towel and into the room, closing the door behind her. As Akane fumed and readied herself to charge back outside to slaughter the peeping tom, Kasumi surprised her by giggling.

"Kasumi, what are you doing?" The young woman asked in bewilderment. Kasumi just coughed lightly into her hand and apologized, seeming strangely out of behavior, but not for the fist time the last couple of days. The eldest just continued nudging her sister over to her bed, gesturing to the covers. "I noticed you were low on clean things to wear so I decided to alter one of my older dresses a little for you to wear tonight. I know the color will look wonderful on you."

Akane looked to her sheets to find a dainty little dress placed across the surface. Pleasantly surprised, She turned toward her sister to thank her, and on impulse, leaned in to silently show her gratitude in a gentle hug. Kasumi smiled into her hair as she patted the girl's back tenderly and whispered, "You're welcome." Akane felt her pull back as she prodded teasingly, "now try it on and let me study my handiwork."

* * *

Tonight… tonight was the night. He had been so patient, so careful. Finally, he would get what he wanted. There was a groan beside him in the dark. The other man next to him shifted with a sharp intake of breath, demonstrating his apparent discomfort. He whispered to the beaten man beside him whom he knew and loved and hated. Fiercely, he warned, "Don't interfere. Tonight. She's mine you scummy bastard, and if you defy me or screw up tonight… I'll kill you." His companion whimpered his consent before giving a wheezing cough and slumping to the floor. His labored breathing evened out as he entered unconsciousness.

With a wicked smile and a quick kick to the abused man's side, the dark and vicious form of a monster threw open the door, sniffing into the darkening evening.

Tonight.

* * *

The normally cold and gloomy setting of the detention camp was lifted and replaced with an unusual cloud of joy and entertainment. Faces were lit as brightly as any lantern-light lining the buildings, and the purple-gray sky was giving way to the bright glint of stars winking through the normal haze. Even the numerous soldiers and officers keeping an eye on the partygoers were enjoying themselves and nearly forgetting that these were their captives and this euphoria would only last for one night before the harsh bite of reality was once again released on them.

As for Akane, the stress of coordinating the event was finally lifted from her shoulders enough for her to try and enjoy herself. But there was a strange sense of depression building in her chest, tightening her muscles and making it harder for her to breath. Why could he have such an effect on her? Why did her very health depend on this man's nearness? It made her uneasy to feel so attached to someone whom she should obviously not be attached to at all. With a deep sigh that filled her lungs with heavy breath, she headed off a ways from the crowd to ease her headache and find a moment's peace.

"Why hello Miss Tendo. It's a pleasure to see you again so soon." A deep and charming voice sounded from behind her. She spun in a shock of fabric and skirt to face that very familiar voice. With a stutter and a blush at the man's nearness, she took several steps back before answering, "H-hello… Ben, is it? It is a pleasure. But if you don't mind, I have to be getting back…" The said man smiled calmly, making her blood freeze in her veins. He began again, "Are you alright? You seem rather… uncomfortable. Almost… Tense. Do you mind?" He asked warmly as he reached over to begin rubbing her shoulders gently. She jerked at his touch. One so alien, yet so… familiar. Cold hands.

"Actually, I do. I'm sorry, but it's my sister's party and I really should be getting back. It was nice seeing you. Have a nice night." She began striding back toward the throng of people, too eager to leave to hear his mumbled reply.

"I plan on it."

* * *

"Ryoga! What the hell happened to you? There's blood all over you uniform." Ranma remarked worriedly, noticing the dazed look on his friends face. He was staring far into the crowd, watching someone dreamily. Ranma slugged him in the face in a friendly way, drawing an angry, "Ranma!" from him and finally getting his attention. He looked down at his stained uniform, "Nose bleed." Ryoga commented nonchalantly.

"So", Ranma replied easily, "Who're you looking at? Tell me you didn't fall in love with _another_ girl. I remember the last time… that poor woman had to rebuild her house after you were through with it."

"Look at her, man. She's an angel. I've never seen one as pretty as her. I walked in on her bathing… when I woke up, I was stuck in the community dumpster, but it was worth it. I mean, what a body this girl has…" Ranma gave him a disgusted look and shook his head.

"You are such a pervert Ryoga." He responded, giving him another blow to the head. He followed his friend's gaze, searching the crowd for his new obsession. Ryoga pointed toward a girl in a yellow dress dancing with a young man down the dirt rode a ways. She spun and laughed gaily turning ever-so-slightly their way until realization hit Ranma like a sack of bricks.

"That's Akane, you bastard!" He spun around on a shocked Ryoga, as one more important realization hit him. "You walked in on her while she was taking a _bath_?" The other young man stood with a very confused look in his eyes, until realization struck him as well. "_That's_ the girl? Her! No way Ranma! She's mine." That struck a chord deep in the officer's chest, and he lunged toward his companion, sending him flying toward the ground from a swift kick. Ryoga groaned, too surprised by the sudden venomous look in his friend's eyes to respond. Finally, he too became angry. They commenced fighting sending blow for blow furious scowls and death threats, until the two were worn from the sudden exertion. As they stood panting in the street, Ranma gave his soldier one long look, a strange expression haunting his eyes as Ryoga watched in stunned silence, waiting for the next attack. Finally Ranma turned and walked off into the crowd, not looking back, and forcing his eyes away from the happy young woman dancing under the starlight.

* * *

After her uncomfortable encounter with Ben, Akane had spent much of her time in the company of others – dancing, talking and laughing. But though it was painful to admit, even to her self, the one person Akane really needed in order to feel safe… was Ranma. That's why, when she finally saw him standing off to the side and awkwardly defending him self against the attentions of several infatuated young girls, she had nearly forgotten their earlier argument.

She watched him unhappily until she became aware of a nearby presence making her uneasy. She turned cautiously around to see Ben watching her at a distance, the several cuts and bruises littering his face becoming apparent where she had not noticed them before. He smiled at her through a split lip and she spun back toward where Ranma still stood, now alone. She had to keep herself from running over to him and hiding behind his back. Instead, She walked quickly to where he was watching her approach, eyeing her from toe to brow. She smiled inwardly, reassured by his appreciative expression that the argument was forgotten.

"Hey there beautiful." He teased, seemingly without thought. Akane was taken aback, and a rosy blush spread across her cheeks. Something about her had him distracted, for he seemed to not be aware of the uncharacteristic things he was saying to her. At this rate, it was going to be a very long night. But… she wasn't sure if she minded so much, now that Ranma was there.

* * *

She was stunning. Absolutely gorgeous. There was something about the way that strapless yellow dress fit snugly around her chest and waist that held his gaze and left him bold. Despite its daring cut and fitted style, she still managed to look so innocent and demure. He was tempted to spin her around, just so that he could watch the soft layers of skirt twirl before settling back against her legs. And those blue locks of hers. The way she looked so soft and inviting, he just wanted to…

"Ranma. What are you doing?" She whispered quietly, holding his gaze as he pulled her toward him by her wrist. She was so delicate under his calloused hands. When she neared him, he reached a large hand to her short hair, mussed from the breeze. It was just as silky as he had imagined, and he relished the gentle warmth in her eyes when he reached behind her neck to draw her closer. Her shiver of excitement only succeeded in making him want her more, and he was left without any inhibitions, throwing caution to the wind. He felt her warm puffs of breath against his chin as she drew nearer, and still he hadn't said a word.

" Hi Akane!" And just like that, the spell was broken and they flew apart. Akane remained with her eyes locked on Ranma's though, as if there was something there that she wanted to, but couldn't, decipher. After a tense moment of her searching his gaze but it revealing nothing, she turned to the intruder and smiled upon recognition.

"Hi Ukyo. You look lovely tonight." She added kindly, admiring the other woman's fullness and adorable blue dress that fit her snugly. If only she were half as grown-up looking as her new friend, maybe Ranma wouldn't have let her go.

Shaking off the last inappropriate thought, she paid full attention to the ghostly-looking woman in front of her. With curious observation, Akane noticed the pallid complexion and trembling hands of her newly recognized friend. Sparing one last meaningful glance toward the young shaken soldier, she shuddered at the way he avoided her gaze and pulled Ukyo toward a more private area. Speaking worriedly, she asked, "Ukyo, you look like you've seen a ghost. What happened?" Ukyo just lowered her gaze, shaking her head.

"For a moment, I thought I had. It's just been… a long day." Shaking her head more resolutely this time, she lifted her chin and smiled in a fashion that didn't quite reach her hardened eyes.

"Come on", she added, pulling Akane back into the throng of people, "Let's dance!" They immersed themselves in a jumbled crowd of bodies, giggled and shrieking like young girls at the fair.

Worries and fears still hung darkly in the back of her mind. Things she wanted to forget, things that she had forgotten that moment in Ranma's arms but not since and probably never again. But right now, that hardly mattered. Tonight, she would move so much and spin so fast that her dread and her worries wouldn't be able to keep up.

Akane laughed gaily as they twirled to the brassy music. Even if it were a shallow sort of pleasure… for the moment, neither one of them would let their fear overpower their happiness.

* * *

And the night wore on. He watched the sweet young girl in the yellow plaid dress from a distance, knowing his brother wouldn't dare fail him this time. To fail him was damning oneself.

To him, life and its inhabitants were pretty much black and white. He got what he wanted, or they suffered. He got what he wanted, _and_ they suffered. No ifs, no ands, no buts. Why? Power. Absolute and infinite power over those cowardly, useless bastards who claimed they were God's children, God's creations. What did they know? What did any one of them know about the highest, absolute power and greatness of _his _God? How could such a wonder ever love them the way the Lord loved him?

The way he understood it, he was doing God's work, helping him out. These _people_ weren't worth the space they took on Earth, so he would send them to their rightful slots in Hell. So he had taken it upon himself to begin filtering out the more disgusting ones from this camp. It was eerily convenient the way they were all trapped here together, seemingly God's way of making his job easier. That's why the women had been going missing. The women… The reason for man's exile from Eden, abominable souls who tempt and seduce men into sin.

Especially that Tendo. She was the epitome of lust and a sly little temptress. She was his prize, the one he would savor sending away the most. Her beauty was unspeakable, she was delicate, her eyes so alluring…

He was drifting. He had to focus, for she had already begun to sink her venomous fangs of seduction into him. She would go tonight.

* * *

The party had ended. It was late in the night… so late it was early, and the sky couldn't decide if it should be dark or light, so it settled on a muggy dark fog. Akane stumbled about, trying to finish cleaning up. She had sent her sisters to bed, noticing their drawn expressions. Everyone was in bed and away. It had been some time since she had seen Ranma.

"Damn it." She cursed as she kicked something with her shin. She couldn't see anything through the dark mist. It settled about her, drawn to her like an ominous sheet of ignorance. She was helpless in such a fog.

"That's not something a lady should say." An amused voice spoke up from somewhere beside her. She knew that voice, that ugly chuckle. She backed herself up against what she assumed was a shack, stuttering in her fear, "B-Ben? What- what are you doing here?" His only response was a dark laugh. Before she could move in any direction, his hands were upon her, pinning her where she cowered.

"This is how I survive." He muttered against the tight skin of her neck. She didn't understand him. He gave a hysterical giggle. She waited. He said no more.

_Ranma_, Her mind screamed. She gave a jerk, and his hands fell limp. Without knowing where he was, she struck out, hitting air. Her skin was cold, the sweat trickling down her neck and chest colder still. She pushed off the wall, disoriented and dazed as she rushed through the thick gray-black mist. She didn't know if he followed her. She stopped, she didn't know where. She couldn't breath, the fog closed in around her, walls that trapped her senses. Was he there?

"Wait… I want to touch your pretty hair." She heard him whisper next to her ear. Her heart paused stricken in her chest and she whimpered in panic. Slowly, she straightened. She struck out, hitting air again. _Ranma_.

And she was off, rushing in some wild direction until she hit a fence. A barb caught her skirt and tore; she felt a slow trickle down her leg. Crying out, she spun around in tight circles, her eyes wild, kicking and struggling against nothing in an eerily animalistic way. Trapped.

"Coward!" She shrieked, her voice rough and strained with fear. Trapped. No one answered her challenge, nothing moved. She danced about in her tight, ritualistic circle. Trapped. She would fight him. She would fight the pain pumping through her veins, she would _fight_ itBut it was too quiet. Where had he gone?

"I have to send you away." A soft voice remarked sympathetically. She froze. A softly chill finger brushed her cheek. She trembled.

"Such exquisiteness can only lead to sin." It whispered, and then, "I know, I know, you're frightened. But you're evil, and I you have to go." He told himself resolutely, as if he was justifying… convincing.

"Who… who the hell _are_ you?" A chuckle. Serene, easy… practiced. No response. The she heard him. Faint muttering, a fast, demonic muttering.

"_GetridofhershesinstemptressbeforesheseducesyouandfailGoditmustbedonetonight_."

…And it was dead quiet once more.

"Sometimes he gets like this." Ben spoke up from the darkness. "I had to lead you here… he told me to. He would have killed me. He would have _killed_ me." He finished as his voice grew increasingly frantic. She cowered. She couldn't get out of this one. She was going to die tonight.

A hand slid up her back, quickly, electrically, until she felt cold steel pressed against her throat. "I have to send you away." The blade stung her skin, cutting slightly deeper as she swallowed. Then there was the click of a safety. Someone had a gun.

"_No_." The air was tense and the only noise was the sound of Ben's heavy breathing. She heard him shake the gun, felt the man behind her being nudged. He whimpered, "You said I could have her first. I want this one. You _said_." He sounded like a spoiled child. His beaten face emerged from the darkness right before her face as he reached around to hold the gun to his brother's forehead. His eyes rolled wildly in their sockets.

"She is a wicked creature, brother. A temptress. I have to do this. You'll understand after I've - "

"_No_!" He shrieked. His finger tensed on the trigger, and in seconds it happened. Akane hazily realized as she rolled to the floor that in her hand there was a cold metal weight, a body slumped to the floor beside her, and a beastly cry erupted from above her. Finally, her brain caught up to her body.

The stranger lay still beside her, a bullet in his gut. His eyes were eerily empty, his tongue lolled uselessly from his mouth so that trickles of bloody saliva seeped into the dirt. Ben was gone. Not gone… she could feel him there. But where? She cocked the gun. Waiting…

An abrupt movement occurred to her left, and without another thought she fired. A surprised grunt and a curse of pain broke the tense silence. A different voice. Not Ben. Who, then?

"Who are you?" She asked guardedly, only partly aware of his response. She didn't want to kill anybody. She hated guns.

"Who am I? Who the _hell _are _you_?" the faceless victim of her paranoia shouted angrily. For being shot he seemed oddly unfazed. She whimpered… what had she done?

"Where's Ranma?" She whimpered to herself. The figure heard her and suddenly his breathing shortened. He stumbled forward hesitantly, and she impulsively raised the gun and took aim at his approach.

"Shit… you're not Akane, are you?" She still had the gun lifted at his shape, her hands causing it to tremble so that she could not aim steadily. "You've got to be fucking kidding me." He ground out.

"What going on here?" A voice interrupted their short exchange. Akane still lay weakly on the floor with the heavy gun so that her hands drooped toward the dirt. She was shaking like a rattling leaf, and her face was pale and round like a full moon. Beautiful but distant.

"Is Hibiki, yes? What violent girl captive doing armed?" The woman was exotically beautiful, austere and powerful in her finely pressed uniform but in a way that screamed seductive. Her hair was a violet the color of Jacaranda trees in bloom, and her generous bosom could hardly be contained beneath the dark, course fabric of her blazer.

"Yes Ma'am." He responded, his face contorting in a sullen kind of dread. This was an unfortunate occurrence. Ranma was going to kill him. And her. And probably everyone else, too.

"You're not… with General Soatome, are you?" He asked weakly, unable to look at Akane as the gun dropped heavily to the ground. Misty fog clung to his hair and clothing. It was cold.

_Please forgive me if any of my ramblings in the above chapter offended you. Any views, no matter how slight, of the crazy evil man have nothing to do with my own. Please keep in mind that he is supposed to be insane. Thank you. _


	12. Endure

A/N: Woah-man. Lots of cliché fluffiness in this one. Not bad, but kinda hard for me, as a respectably not fluffy person, to write. Also, sorry for the confusion in the last chapter. I was trying to give it a chaotic and bewildering feeling, and apparently did the job based on most of the responses I got.  The jist of it is, Akane was attacked by a crazy man who will be further identified later. Her would-be murder was interrupted by Ben, who wanted her alive for other nasty perverted unmentionable activities… yeah. The gun Crazy-man-number-two was holding fired, and Akane managed a grab for it in the chaos… and on with the show.

P.S. Thanks a bucketful for waiting me out (my optimistic niave idea that there still are readers out there waiting for an update…) This is just a little notice, you know: Hi, how's life, I swear I'm still alive. That kind of thing. Actually, it has been a very (no kidding) very busy year… almost too much for little ol' me, and I was having some trouble getting this chapter to go in the right direction. But here it is… I guess. I'm estimating only a few more chapters left. Maybe four at the most.

DISCLAIMER: If I really owned these characters, I'd have been shot on account of my lack of commitment (very touchy people, I'm sure). And if I had any claim on the events of the WWII, I'd have been shot on account of it was a war. People get shot in wars.

**Chapter Twelve: Endure**

"_Though they go mad they shall be sane.  
Though they sink through the sea, they shall rise again.  
Though lovers be lost, love shall not,  
And death shall have no dominion."_

- Dylan Thomas

The rain pelted the shaky tin roof of the shack, and the deep rumbling of thunder shook her insides. There was utter silence, and she became attuned to the steady rhythm of her own heart beating against her swollen ribcage.

The door opened and shrieked on it's rusted hinges before slamming snuggly into its frame. She lifted her head wearily and her eyes spoke of exhausted resignation. At the other end of the room stood Ranma. His thick inky locks were plastered to his forehead and his officer's uniform clung snuggly to every chiseled outline of his body. Despite his wet and chilled appearance, his eyes smoldered and his mouth contorted into a position that screamed passion.

"What have you done?" He asked quietly, making a noticeable effort to remain indifferent and calm. His voice cut through the lonely silence like a blade through flesh, causing about the same level of painful comfort. His eyes took on the clouded hue of the outside storm, giving her a frightening view of the one raging inside him. When she neglected to answer, he flushed an angry red – a stark contrast to his previously pallid complexion.

"What the hell were you thinking? Why were you carrying a loaded weapon?" He ground out. And lastly, in a tone of near desperation and obvious pain, "Do you know what they'll do to you?" She had to lower her eyes at the intensity of his gaze. Neither of them moved for several moments. It seemed like a lifetime. Ranma grunted.

"My father arrived early this morning with an attendant. _General_ Saotome and a high-ranking official named Shampoo. I believe you've met the latter." He spat the last part, a spark of disgust reaching his eyes. Akane swallowed the painful knot that had risen in her throat, her eyes burned at the oncoming tears. It had been months since she had cried. Not since the death of her father.

"What happened to the others… Is Ryoga…?" She trailed off on account of her throat seizing shut again. Ranma took it upon himself to answer her unasked question. "_Mr. Hibiki_", he stressed, "Is recovering from a bullet wound in his upper thigh. He will be fine, but he'll likely be sent home to recuperate. As for the other two men…" He paused mid scolding. He was instantly sorry for treating her so harshly. Her eyes were shining with tears that she stubbornly refused to let go, and her fingers were clutched so tightly around her knees that the knuckles were white and small crescent-shaped nail indents appeared, filling with blood on her knee caps.

"One of the victims was sent to a nearby medical center and is currently in critical condition." He paused at the sound of her sharp intake of breath. "The other man… Ben, I suppose… has temporarily gone missing." For a moment, she didn't say anything. Her eyes were trained on the dusty corner of her ruined shoes. Suddenly she lifted her gaze to meet his, and he found himself wavering under the intensity of her fiery eyes.

"You call them _victims_? Whose side are you are Ranma?" her jaw was clenched and the muscles in her shoulders were tense despite her weariness. What struck him the most was the strength and surety of her gaze. This the gaze of a woman suffered. Her heart was passionate, yet callused over as a result of the extensive tragedies in her life. He feared her indifference more than he feared the idea of her nearly killing a man.

"What are you talking about? I'm on your side, of course." He spat, partly from annoyance, partly from a fear that had started somewhere deep in the recesses of his heart and grown passingly more apparent. Cold indifference. He knew that look well… and it was the look of someone who couldn't find room in their wrung and weary heart to care any longer. It was the look he had had plastered over his features for many years. Until he had met Akane.

She turned away from his official tone belligerently. His heart gave a painful jerk and twist in his chest. The fear… of losing her. Not just physically. If she could no longer trust him, no longer smile for him… it was a painful idea. One that was becoming more likely as he sat there and let her draw away from him.

In three short strides he was at her side. His hands grasped the cold metallic bars of her cell that was the only physical barrier between them. She shuffled away in a startled manner, a small utterance escaping her lips. He struck out a hand to grasp her arm above the elbow and pull her closer to him. He could tell he pained her as she winced slightly. Her shoulder was jammed up against the ice-like bars, and they were so close she felt the unpredictable puff of his breath upon her neck. The intensity of his eyes burned holes through her cold defense.

"I won't let this happen. _You can't leave_. Hate me - forget me… but I'll still be there. You can't walk away from this." His hand trembled, as his voice grew husky and rough and almost pleading. "Don't leave me like I was Akane. I can't go back to the way I was." _Alone_. Ranma's head leaned heavily against the bars. He waited in silence for her response. His hand dropped from the harsh grasp he held around her arm.

After a stretched silence, a soft, unsure hand was brought to the nape of his neck. He felt her press her own warm forehead against his own, and she whispered nearly inaudibly, "What makes you think I'm that easy to get rid of?" And just like that, a weight had been removed from his gut. He wanted to laugh. Or cry. But neither of those would be very acceptable for a man like him. Besides, that would involve breaking their tender embrace… something he had no intention of doing. Ever.

* * *

So. Time to report to big Daddy Soatome. He wasn't going to be happy about this one. She was perched, hanging from the edge of the soggy roof, the droplets stinging the surface of her eyes as she watched intently and unnoticed through the cloudy window.

She was overwrought with emotion. So many bombarded her at once, she was completely incapable of describing them. Jealousy, disgust, guilt, loss… and an odd sense of shame for intruding on something so profoundly intimate. She gave a small snort of derision. Unlocking her knees from the hook-like hold she had on the ceiling, She did a mid-air tumble and landed gracefully on her toes. Her eyes closed briefly and visions of a former life overcame her, savagely attacking her weak disposition. A callused palm mingling with her own. A tender word. Eyes that watched her with utter compassion and trust. God, she thought she had forgotten. But love… that's something you can never forget.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know anyone was in here." Ukyo stammered apologetically as she became uncomfortably aware of the half-naked man lying in a clean cot. She had come to visit Kasumi at Akane's request at the camp's makeshift infirmary. The poor overworked eldest sister had fainted clean away at the news of her sister's predicament.

The man on the bed waved away her awkward intrusion. "It's no big deal. I'm just here to rot – er, recuperate. At least… I think that's the word they used. All I know is that I can't feel a damn thing in this Godforsaken leg, and - " Ryoga stopped, pausing sheepishly.

He bowed his head slightly in shame. "Pardon my French, Miss." And the next moment he grinned charmingly, sticking out a rough hand in her direction. "Name's Ryoga Hibiki."

It took all of her will power to cover the shock and pain she felt gnawing at her abdomen. He didn't remember. Thank all that was holy… The man couldn't remember. She recovered from her awkward silence at his introduction and took his hand gently in hers. There was little force in the squeeze of her fingers. "Ukyo." She stated quietly, her voice quivering despite her efforts. "I'm just here to check up on someone… I won't be a minute." And she was out. Away from the man that so reminded her of someone else… somewhere else. Her hands trembled as she gripped the extra clothing she had brought with her. Spotting the object of her search a little too quickly, Ukyo panicked in an attempt to regain her composure. But it was no use at all. Kasumi knows things… the way a mother knows. It was both a blessing and a curse to her friends and family.

"Ukyo dear… what's wrong? You look so pale." Kasumi asked in a matronly form of concern as she neared her cot. She reached up and clasped the young girl's hand, mentally noting it's trembling. Ukyo just smiled waveringly and shook her head. "It's nothing, just a little chilly, that's all. I just can't handle the cold anymore. I fall to pieces." She squeezed Kasumi's hand encouragingly and placed the warm jacket and stockings she had brought her on the covers. "Compliments of Nabiki and the little jailbird." She joked, only sorry when she spotted the tiny frown marring the elder girl's face.

"How is she doing? Is she in very much trouble?" Kasumi fretted. Ukyo shook her head, a thoughtful finger to her chin. She couldn't explain to the poor girl what would really happen. She wouldn't be able to handle it. And then there was that other issue…

* * *

"She's here, Sir. Shampoo tell her come in?" She gave a curt nod toward the General at his affirmative, only allowing a slight frown to mar her pretty features after she had turned her back on the gluttonous, but coldly efficient man. It was all she could do to contain the innate disgust she felt toward the depraved general. This job was her life. Literally. If she showed any reluctance to carry out orders with a smile and a flourish, she would be snatched up and tossed into a cell to rot faster than she could curse the name of this devil reincarnate. Damn the war… she just wanted to go home.

"He see you now. Come quick, very busy man." She snapped at the ghostly looking woman soaked to the very bone from the relentless rain. The huddled form allowed herself to be ushered inside, where she took a moment to collect her frayed nerves. This was the last time. She couldn't do it anymore… she wouldn't have to. She was about to ruin the lives of two very undeserving young people. Straightening and brushing back the sticky ends of her saturated bangs, she pushed through the doors into the presence of the man she despised most. Well, maybe he was only second in line… spot number one was reserved for the jackass that ruined her life, and her happiness.

"I've…" her voice cracked and she had to clear her throat in an attempt to continue. "I've been watching Sir. You… your son seems to have a very strong – attachment – to one girl, one captive, in particular." She stopped unable to betray the last minute piece of information. It wasn't fair. Nothing about this war was fair.

"Ukyoe. You know what rides on this assignment, do you not? Shall I remind you what will become of that traitorous husband of yours? Do you doubt my sincerity when I say he _will_ suffer for your incompetence?" Each snide leer, each calculated question, was like a twist to the knife permanently imbedded in her heart. She gasped from the pain her inner conflicts were causing her, the turmoil this wicked man knotted her soul into.

"No… no you do not." Her decision was made; she had to remember the man… the man she loved. Even if he would never remember _her_. Inhaling sharply, she forced the words from her constricting throat. "The accused captive Akane Tendo, Sir. The woman carrying the gun responsible for… Mr. Hibiki's… injuries and the death of one Jacob Nishimoto." She paused, her eyes burning with the unbearable heat of guilt and a tortured soul. "Your son had reportedly been seen in her presence from the incident at the train station until this very evening in the… holding room. With what I have observed, they seem to be very reliant on one another. _Sir_."

The tension in the air was so manifest that it was nearly tangible. She let go a deep, unhappy sigh, the only noise to cut the harsh silence. And then he spoke… so quietly it was almost inaudible.

"Did you say _Tendo_?"


End file.
